LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

Sheir4/-ij 



ip^ -W "fr 



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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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I 




Akgonaut, oe Papee Nautilus (Argonauta argo). 



OCEAN WONDERS: 



COMPANION FOE THE SEASIDE. 



FREELY ILLUSTRATED FROM LIVING- OBJECTS. 



WILLIAM E. DAMON. 



4 We know not a millionth part of the wonders of this beautiful world." 



r ^.JL4feL 



NEW YORK : 
D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 

549 AND 551 BKOADWAY. 

1879. 



Qi-12.2. 



COPYRIGHT BY 

D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 

1819. 



^ 



THE LOVEES AND ADMIRERS 



THE OCEAN AND ITS WONDERS 



THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED BY 



THE ATTTHOK, 



PEEFACE. 



This volume has been specially prepared with a view to 
supply a long-felt need of precise and reliable information 
in regard to the living objects of our own sea-coast, and, 
incidentally, of other marine animals, either suitable for the 
aquarium or of sufficient intrinsic interest to deserve notice 
in any general work on marine zoology. My purpose is not 
only to describe the organic features and modes of life of 
these creatures, in their native ocean and river homes, but 
also to give careful and practical instruction as to where and 
how many of them may be procured and preserved in par- 
lor and public aquaria. 

Thousands of persons visit the sea-shore, perhaps spend- 
ing weeks annually in its vicinity, without any idea of avail- 
ing themselves of these opportunities to become practically 
acquainted with the curious and interesting forms of life 
which abound in such localities. Nature throws her choicest 
treasures at their feet, but they walk over them disregardful 
and insensible ; while it is true that some even of the com- 
monest productions of the sea — productions which are unno- 
ticed from their very abundance — would well repay careful 
study and patient investigation. The invisible is often more 



vi PKEFACE. 

curious than that which meets the eye, and a microscope of 
even moderate power will reveal in sea-water the marvelous 
resources of Nature in furnishing the minutest creations 
with organs as perfectly adapted to their mode of life as are 
those of the gigantic whale or the vertebrate land animals. 

The realm of marine zoology is very wide-reaching, and 
includes such a vast variety of large and small, simple and 
complicated organisms as to be practically limitless. No 
one human life is long enough to compass a thorough ac- 
quaintance with all the " wonders of the ocean," concealed as 
many of them are in the depths of that immense and prolific 
reservoir of animated existence. But, from the unnumbered 
total, it is my purpose in this work to draw forth examples 
of each important class, and I shall endeavor to give mainly 
such information as will tend to excite increased interest in 
the subject, and will enable those whose curiosity is thus 
aroused to effect a personal acquaintance with such speci- 
mens as are obtainable on our own shores or the neighboring 
West India Islands. 

Certain it is that the more intimate one becomes with 
this department of science the broader it grows, until the 
student is not only lost in wonder at the inexhaustible varie- 
ties of life displayed, but in endless reflections upon the uses 
of such profusion and such complications of means to meet 
the wants of apparently insignificant creatures. 

Often do I think of a remark made by my friend the 
late Dr. Edmund R. Peaslee, while inspecting my collection 
of minute marine animals, that " the thorough investigation 
of any branch of natural science always ends in a mystery." 



The remark was true ; but, before reaching the mystery, 
how much pleasure and instruction are derived from the 
mere investigation ! The study of the wondrous formations 
of sea -polyps, of the delicate alcyonarian zoophytes and 
corals, of the sea-urchins, the lily-stars, and the strange fish 
of delicate form and tint, opens to the student who ap- 
proaches the subject for the first time an entirely new world 
of unexpected pleasure and unimagined forms of existence. 
The sea, to him, never more can be simply a vast stretch of 
navigable water, useful as a highway for commerce, or as a 
means of summer recreation. 

Of books upon aquaria — particularly of English reprints 
— there has been a large number given to the American 
public. Many of them are valuable and interesting in their 
way, but they are generally deficient in that sort of infor- 
mation which the amateur most needs, namely, direct and 
comprehensible instruction "how to keep an aquarium." 
Some of the attempts to do this are altogether misleading 
and impracticable, while others are not adapted to the exi- 
gencies of our climate. Some of the most learned and 
scientific writers, both American and foreign, fail lamen- 
tably on this important point. It is not so easy as it appears 
at the first glance to assure success in establishing a private 
aquarium. Whatever value this volume possesses is due to 
the fact that I give no second-hand directions, but the results 
and deductions of my own dearly-bought personal experi- 
ence, attained at a considerable outlay not only of time and 
trouble but also of money, in obtaining many rare and scarce 
specimens of marine life, and in experiments to ascertain 



v iii PREFACE. 

the kind of animals which would survive captivity. In the 
latter, I hope my directions or hints will materially dimin- 
ish the amount of expenditure for such amateurs as may 
peruse this book. But even the process of learning by 
defeats and failures has its reward, and, when success is 
won, the aquarium becomes a permanent pleasure — a " joy 
forever ! " 

I must, however, warn the reader, particularly the novice 
in natural science, that he must not expect in a volume of 
this size anything like a complete description, or a mention 
even, of every specimen which may be found upon our 
shores. Neither must he imagine that the excellent illus- 
trations which accompany most of the varieties introduced 
to his notice can adequately exhibit the delicate beauty and 
exquisite, changeful tints of the living animal. In many 
cases these are as evanescent as they are beautiful, and nei- 
ther pen nor pencil can convey a full and satisfactory repre- 
sentation. "We can give the form and approximate to the 
shades of color, but the beauty inherent in vitality is un- 
transferable to the printed page. So perfectly inexhaustible 
are these minute objects, that one may spend hours or years 
of never-ending pleasure and interest upon them. 

The preeminent value of studies in natural science, pur- 
sued either as a profession or as the recreation of a busy life, 
will not be questioned at this late day. A practical knowl- 
edge of any branch of natural science, and an interest in it, 
are conceded to be the best possible tonic for producing phys- 
ical and mental health and vigor. Of the amount of abso- 
lute pleasure to be derived from such pursuits, every enthu- 



PREFACE. i x 

siastic amateur is a living illustration. The experimental 
naturalist is almost invariably a happy man. 

In conclusion, I desire to record my obligation to those 
friends who have assisted me by sympathy or otherwise in 
this work. And, first of all, to my dear and honored sister, 
whose suggestive spirit and practical example awakened in 
my mind a love for this charming science, I here express 
my affectionate gratitude for the introduction she gave me 
to a knowledge of aquarial life, feeling that to her, and to 
the intelligent assistance and sympathetic interest of my 
wife in my favorite studies, I am indebted for some of my 
happiest hours. 

My valued friend Eobert A. "West — would that he still 
lived to receive my acknowledgments! — was the most de- 
voted lover of aquarial science that I have ever met. Being 
connected editorially with the " Commercial Advertiser " 
of this city, he exerted perhaps more influence than any 
other individual in advancing the subject in the public 
appreciation. On his practical wisdom and counsel I could 
always rely. 

H. Dorner, Ph. D., late of the Hamburg Zoological 
Garden and Aquarium; Prof. H. D. Butler, and Messrs. 
Charles Reiche & Brother, of this city, have also courte- 
ously and kindly afforded me assistance in various ways. 

It would be a long list should I undertake to name all 
the kind friends who, in the course of years, have aided me 
in my aquarial pursuits ; but, though space does not permit 
me to mention them, not one is forgotten. 

In connection with the publication of this volume, I can- 



x PREFACE. 

not in justice omit the name of J. Carson Brevoort, Esq., 
the eminent scholar and scientist, late Superintendent of the 
Astor Library, to whom I am indebted for valuable sugges- 
tions and the loan of authorities ; nor that of Mrs. E. Yale 
Blake, for special assistance in the revision of these pages 
for the press. 

W. E. D. 

New Yoek, January, 1879. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

Introductory — The Ocean 1 



CHAPTER II. 

Actinoids: Actinle, Sea-Anemones, or Sea-Flowers . . . . V 

CHAPTER III. 
Living Corals 19 

CHAPTER IV. 

house-builders op the sea— ocean architects — decorators — masons 
— Weavers — Jewelers — Dyers — Butchers — Mowers — Scavengers 
— Surgeons 33 

CHAPTER V. 

Remarkable Fishes and Crabs op Bermuda . . . . .55 

CHAPTER VI. 

The Octopus, or Devil-Fish, and its Congeners : Their Habits, True 

Character, and Mode op Capture . . . . . , .66 

CHAPTER VII. 
Mollusks : The Boring Pholas, Teredo, etc 82 

CHAPTER VIII. 

The Hermit-Crab .,,,,.,*.,, 100 



xii CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER IX. 

PAGE 

Some Curious Denizens of the Sea: Sea-Horse, Shell-Turtle, etc. 107 

CHAPTER X. 

Barnacles . ■ . „ . 126 

CHAPTER XI. 
Star-Fishes 133 

CHAPTER XII. 

ECHINOIDS AND SEA-CUCUMBERS 141 

CHAPTER XIII. 

Hydroids — Medusa — Jelly-Fish — Physalia or Portuguese Man-of- 

War 150 

CHAPTER XIV. 
Sponges 166 

CHAPTER XV. 
The White Whale — The Seal 170 

CHAPTER XVI. 

Marine and Fresh- Water Aquaria — How to do everything that is 

necessary to build, stock, and take care of the Aquarium . 180 

APPENDIX. 

HOW TO COLLECT AND PRESERVE ALGiE ....... 224 



ILLUSTEATIOE"S. 



PAGE 

Argonaut, or Paper Nautilus Frontispiece. 

Living Foraminifera 5 

Anemones, or Sea-Flowers 8 

Cross-Section op Polyp 9 

Anemone and its Young 10 

Anthea Cereus 10 

Cnim:, or Lasso-Cells 13 

Hermit-Crab and Anemone 14 

Actinle, or Sea- Anemones, which live in the Sand . . . .17 

Astrangia (Dana) 22 

Cluster op Coral Polyps 30 

Dead Coral 30 

Meandrina cerebriformis 30 

Astr^ea pallida 31 

An Annelid an City, or Group op Serpul^e 35 

The Mason Annelid 35 

Decorating Crab, or Sea-Spider 48, 49 

Pecten, or Scallop 46 

Dancing Scallops 47 

Shedding op Crab 50 

Crab eating a Clam 51 

Lobster 52 

Edible Crab ..53 

Whelk 53 

Periwinkle 54 

Ch^etodon, or Peacock-Fish 58 

Trunk-Fish . . . 62 

Octopus, or Devil-Fish 66 

The Giant Squid . .68 

An Octopus running 71 

Pearly Nautilus . . . 72 

Paper Nautilus 73 



xiv ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

Argonaut without the Shell 74 

Argonaut with the Shell 74 

Sepia officinalis and Shell, or Cuttle-Bone 78 

Oysters : Different Stages of Growth 83 

Giant Clam 84 

Bivalve Shell 85 

Pholas, or Date-Shell 85 

Pholas boring 86 

Teredo and its Burrows . . . 88 

Teredo out of its Tube 88 

Teredo and Creosoted Wood .90 

Ltcoris fucata 91 

Edible Mussel 93 

Soft Clam 94 

Hard Clam 95 

Crepidula fornicata, or Boat-Shell . . . . . . 96 

Chiton 97 

The Sea-Horse feeding on Serpula 107 

Toad-Fish 113 

The Sea-Raven 114 

The Angler [Lophius piscatorius) 115 

The Hammer-headed Shark 116 

Underside of Skate - . 117 

Smooth Skate 118 

Balloon-Fish 119 

Porcupine-Fish 120 

King-Fish 121 

Tautog, or Black-Fish . . . 121 

Great Sdn-Fish 121 

Sturgeon 121 

Puffer, or Swell-FisIi 122 

Cod 122 

Lump-Fish 122 

Haddock . 122 

Sea-Mouse 123 

Rudder-Fish 123 

Squill 123 

Pilot-Fish 123 

Hawksbill, or Shell Turtle 124 

Green Turtle • 124 

Barnacles 126 

Goose-Barnacles 130 

Young and Adult Barnacle . « . , t . . - .132 



ILLUSTRATIONS. xv 

PAGB 

Star-Fishes . 133, 135 

Sea-Egg, or Sea-Urchin 141 

Sea-Egg, or Sea-Urchin, Top View 142 

Keyhole-Urchin 144 

Cake-Urchin . • '. . . . 145 

Serpent, or Brittle Star-Fish 145 

Basket-Fish 147 

Sea-Cucumber 148 

Hydroids 150 

Sunfish (Aurelia) 151 

Jelly-Fish 153 

Sertclaria pinnata . .155 

Plumularia 155 

CORYNE MIRABILIS .156 

Sarsia . 156 

Sarsia, Adult 156 

tubularia 157 

Physalia, or Portuguese Man-of-War 160 

White Whale 170 

Seal swimming 177 

The Seal 178 

Aquarium complete ". . . . .180 

Valisneria spiralis 194 

White Pond-Lily 196 

Calla Lily 197 

Crawfish 202 

Stickleback 204 

Sticklebacks building their Nests 206 

Sunfish, or Bream 207 

Blacknosed Dace 208 

Common Pike ...... 208 

Catfish . . 209 

Speckled Trout . . . . 209 

Development of the Tadpole 210 

Frog ' . . 211 

Fiddler-Crab . _ . 216 

Horseshoe-Crab 217 

Horseshoe-Crab in Trouble 217 

Shrimp . 218 

American Flounder 222 

Sea-Horse 222 



THE OCEAN. 



CHAPTEK I. 
INTRODUCTORY. 

The ocean ! the vast, glorious, boundless blue ! How the 
vision of sunny hours, inspiring breezes, the invigorating scent 
of the salt air, and the sparkling of bright sea-foam, rises 
at thought of the great deep — that restless, deceptive, yet 
ever-enchanting siren, which lures us in every tone of the 
gamut to trust ourselves on its sparkling bosom! "When 
sunny and serene, how seductive, how harmless it looks; 
when lashed into bright foam by contending wind and tide, 
what various tints and shades of beauty creep up the crystal 
walls of the many-headed billows ! Watched from the shore, 
it is charming in its serenity, grand and glorious even in its 
wildest fury. But, sailing on its surface, how the wonders 
of the ocean deepen and expand ! 

In some parts of this vast water-system we should find it 
much Salter than in others, and should perceive that other 
differences exist, not only in the proportions of its chemical 
ingredients, but in its specific gravity, its color, its purity, its 
thermal gradations, and innumerable other variations. 

In one part of the ocean a traveler might be endangered 
by icebergs, in another becalmed, as in the " doldrums," or 



2 THE OCEAN. 

entangled in the giant algse of the Sargasso Sea. And he 
would learn that he conld scarcely sail in a perfectly direct 
course from any given point to another, but that he must 
more or less obey the tides, currents, and prevailing winds. 
He might even vary his diversion by sailing up and down 
rivers in the sea, should he chance to navigate the long axis 
of the Gulf Stream or the great current of Japan. 

Then, again, in some parts of the ocean, if he looked over 
the bulwarks at night, he would see diffused or trailing lights, 
as if the milky-way had descended from its sphere and was 
floating on the sea, or as if the sun had left some broken rays 
of its departing glory on the waters, ere it descended below 
the horizon. On the surface, again, he might encounter the 
larger cetacea, whales, and schools of porpoises, disporting 
themselves ; or an immense growth of fuci, which he would 
naturally report as a " sea-serpent ; " or see dolphins chasing 
flying-fish, while robber birds disputed with them for the 
prey. These and many other interesting sights would help 
to charm away the hours, while the reflection that millions 
of the human race depend for their existence mainly upon 
the products of the ocean would add immense interest to all 
that related to it. Nature seems to have bestowed upon the 
most valuable edible inhabitants of the ocean a capacity for 
increase simply astounding ; but it is not food alone which 
the sea furnishes to man. Oil for lights and for mechanical 
uses, chemical substances for dyes and drugs, valuable furs 
for clothing, and many other useful and beautiful objects, 
would render the ocean an almost exhaustless subject for 
study, did there remain no others than those which we have 
named. 

But these various conditions of the ocean and the objects 
to be seen upon its surface are not the " wonders " of which 
we mean' to speak, but rather of that vast reservoir of life 
hidden beneath these beautiful waves, of those curious and 
charming marine animals of which one can scarcely realize 



INTRODUCTORY. 3 

the attraction, unless, like the writer, he has watched their 
modes of life with attention, and observed from day to day 
the wonderful provision which Nature has made for the 
growth and sustenance of even the minutest organisms. The 
immense variety of life contained in the ocean would never 
be suspected from superficial observations. The very scintil- 
lations of the surface, which we admire at night, are but the 
myriad lamps of tiny creatures, wonderfully fashioned, and 
serving purposes which eventually, by circuitous paths, re- 
dound to the advantage of the human race. As purifiers of 
the ocean by their constant movements, and as food for larger 
kinds of marine animals, they prove as serviceable to man as 
they are eminently worthy of his study. 

The only way by which amateur naturalists can famil- 
iarize themselves with living specimens of marine animals is 
by collecting them in aquaria. These artificial reservoirs are 
looked upon by many as a modern fashionable invention ; 
but history informs us that the art of preserving and breed- 
ing rare marine and fresh- water animals was well understood 
by the ancients. The Romans, in those luxurious days which 
preceded the decline of the empire, were famous for the 
lavish expenditure bestowed upon their artificial fish-ponds ; 
and some very ingenious and curious means were adopted by 
them in the preservation of aquatic animals. True, it was 
not with a view to scientific observation, or even as amateur 
naturalists, but rather with the epicurean intent to procure 
the choicest fish for their tables. But in some instances, 
doubtless, it was for the beauty of the creatures themselves, 
as in the case of the gold-fish and the red mullet, the latter 
of which displays in death those marvelous iridescent colors 
which induced some of the patricians to introduce streams 
of water under their dining-tables, so that this phenomenon 
might be observed at leisure by their guests. Others of those 
" noble Romans " have been charged with the barbarity of 
throwing slaves alive into their fish-ponds, with a special 



4 THE OCEAN. 

view of thus fattening the famous lamprey-eels, which was 
a fashionable dish of the period. 

But the moderns must have the credit not only of culti- 
vating the edible species of fish, mollusks, and Crustacea, for 
useful purposes, but of studying the more minute and curi- 
ous non-edible, and even microscopic forms, from purely 
scientific motives. France led the way, and Germany, Eng- 
land, and our own country, have rapidly followed ; so that 
for the last four decades we may say that marine zoology 
has been popularized ; and we will yet hope that, in connec- 
tion with other branches of natural science, it may be made 
an ordinary branch of education. "Why should our youth be 
kept in ignorance of one-half of the Creator's wonderful 
works, as displayed in the inhabitants of the waters of the 
ocean ? To prove that the study of natural objects is as good 
a discipline for the mind as is exclusive devotion to the clas- 
sics, we have only to point to Cuvier. There is an anecdote 
told of him which illustrates his own thought on this subject. 
It is said that, when he was called to fill an important public 
office, the Emperor Napoleon expressed his surprise at the 
skill displayed in the management of affairs by this student 
of Nature; but Cuvier declared that it was precisely the 
order and system with which Nature requires to be studied 
that had habituated his mind to grasp at once the problems 
presented to him in a totally different sphere of thought. 

Marine zoology has suffered under the disadvantage, be- 
yond other branches of science, that subjects for examination 
were not easily attainable. During the first century of our 
era, the greatest naturalist of his day, Pliny, had only dis- 
covered forty-seven kinds of marine animals ! Successive 
observers added their mites of observation, but knowledge 
on this subject was of very slow growth, for, until the inven- 
tion of the microscope, the numerically largest division of 
these curious creatures were invisible ; and we may say that, 
until the era of scientific expeditions and the invention of 



INTRODUCTORY. 5 

machines for deep-sea dredging, thousands of curious forms 
of coral, shells, algse, and all their congeners, were never be- 
held by any human eyes. 

But the human imagination was never idle, though sci- 
ence has been so tardy in its marches ; and those poetical 
fancies, which conceived of mermaids and fairy-grottoes be- 
neath the bright sea-waves, were in many respects nearer 
to the truth than the so-called facts of some of the old natu- 
ralists, for certainly no fairy-land could exceed in beauty 
many of the gorgeous bowers formed by the combined pro- 
ductions of the marine flora and the animated dwellers in 
the submarine depths of the tropical seas. 




Shells of Living Foeaminifeea. — a, Orbulina universa, in its perfect condition, showing 
the tubular spines which radiate from the surface of the shell ; &, Globigerina bulloides, 
in its ordinary condition, the thin hollow spines which are attached to the shell when per- 
fect having been broken off; c, Textularia variabilis ; d, Peneroplis planatus ; e, Rota- 
Ua concamerata ; ,f\ Crislellaria mbareuatula. Fig. a is after Wyville Thomson ; the 
others are after Williamson. All the figures are greatly enlarged (after Nicholson). 



6 THE OCEAN. < 

In those masses known as macciotta an almost unnum- 
bered variety of garden and even forest- like structures are 
formed, consisting of polypiers, hydroids, corals, algse, and 
sea-anemones, of the most brilliant hues and graceful forms, 
which neither pen nor pencil can ever adequately describe. 

It must here be noted that modern facilities of observa- 
tion have greatly extended the area of animal life ; not only 
in our recognition of about 500,000 varieties of marine forms, 
of which 400,000 take rank as very low organizations, but in 
the discovery that many species of growths once classed as 
vegetables, such as the sponges and corals, are now known to 
be animal organisms. 



CHAPTER II. 

A C TIF IDS. 

ACTDTLE, SEA-ANEMONES, OR SEA-FLOWERS. 

Haying been peculiarly successful in keeping alive and 
in healthy condition a large number of these beautiful creat- 
ures, I shall now attempt to describe a few of them, begin- 
ning with a class which is better known than many others, 
and which must ever grow into popular favor from the beau- 
ty of its form, the brilliancy of its colors, and the compara- 
tive ease with which they may be preserved in the aquarium. 
I refer to those charming sea-flowers, the anemones, many 
of which rival in beauty the choicest treasures of the garden 
or conservatory. But added to their loveliness of form and 
color is the superior attraction of their vitality ; for these sea- 
flowers are living animals, breathing, eating, digesting, and 
capable of changing their forms at will. Would not a pink 
be more curious if it could walk ? a rose awaken greater in- 
terest if it could reach after its necessary nourishment, and 
take care of its own buds ? Well, this is what the flowers of 
the sea do. 

This animal-flower is widely diffused, is found upon all 
our shores, usually adhering to rocks, and has even been 
found upon the timber of our docks. Every sea offers us 
some representatives. It is classed by naturalists with the 
corals ; and, if we cannot all have the latter alive in our 
aquaria, we can all secure sea-anemones, which will assist us 

to understand the mode of life of the former. 

2 • 



g THE OCEAN. 

The sea-anemones possess the power of altering their 
shape to an astonishing degree. Sometimes they will con- 
tract themselves into balls, partially elongated and expanded; 
then they will stretch ont their fringes and tentacles to their 
widest extent, like a polypetalons flower in Ml bloom. 




Ajtemojtes, oe Sea-Floweks. 



The variety known as Metridium marginatum is particu- 
larly fond of this habit. I have long had in my aquarium a 
beautiful salmon-colored one, which will assume many dif- 
ferent forms in as many minutes. Standing up at its full 
height, some six or seven inches, a constriction or belt will 



ACTINLE, SEA-ANEMONES, OR SEA-FLOWERS. 



appear around the middle of its body or column ; this will be 
drawn tighter and closer, until a perfect hour-glass form is pro- 
duced ; then perhaps this band or girdle will move upward 
toward the crown, and it will appear like a small umbrella 
or mushroom. Then it may shift downward, and at a cer- 
tain distance become highly suggestive of a clelicate-waisted 
young maiden. I have seen two of these belts appear at the 
same time, and have even observed three. Some of the 
forms assumed are wonderfully graceful and interesting to 
the observer, but I doubt if these are healthy indications. 
Sometimes it remains attached to a piece of rock, and anon 
it prefers the smooth glass wall of the tank. When in the 
latter position, the observer is enabled to note the peculiar 
structure of the base, and in some of the German varieties 
which I possess there is sufficient transparency to give a view 
of the internal structure. In the base of these latter appear 
both radiate and concentric lines, indicating the divisions 
which exist in the body, forming a succession of chambers ; 
a central cavity is observable above and below, forming the 
axis of the animal, and around this the chambers or cells are 
arranged in a radiate form, char- 
acteristic of the class Radiata. 
These partitions forming the cham- 
bers or cells do not all extend to 
the inner sac or stomach ; they in- 
crease in number in proportion to 
the age of the animal. Around 
the edges of these partitions are 
the genital organs, arranged close 
to the central cavity, in the lower 
end of the inner sac, through 
which the matured young pass, 
and thence through the mouth opening at the top. 

The upper chambers of the cavity are prolonged at the 
superior edge into tentacles or feelers, which extend in a 




Ckoss-Sectton of a Polyp, or Sea- 
Anemone, SHOWING THE SEPTA. — 
(Dana). 



10 



THE OCEAN. 



number of rows around the upper part of the animal, form- 
ing when they are all extended a beautiful crown. If these 
tentacles or feelers are touched, or if the creature is in any 
way alarmed, they are instantly contracted, and all the parts 
sink down and are drawn together into a compact mass. 
This is effected by the exudation of water from the cavities 
or chambers through a series of small openings connected 





Sea-Anemone and its Young. 



Anthea Ceeetts (Opelet). 



with the central cavity. Expansion takes place by the re- 
versed action, namely, filling these cells with water. These 
creatures possess in a limited degree the power of locomo- 
tion by means of two sets of muscles, one set running around 
the body, the others arranged longitudinally; and by con- 
tracting and expanding these they are enabled to move even 
considerable distances. I have seen them go even at a snail's 
pace across the tank. 

The sea-anemones are delightfully varied in size, color, 
form, and special peculiarities of development and function ; 
so that a large collection would be like an animated flower- 
garden, composed of carnations, china-asters, dahlias, daisies, 
etc. Their general resemblance to flowers first caused natu- 
ralists to bestow upon the whole class the name of the anem- 
one, or wind-flower; while individual features and pecu- 
liarities have induced successive discoverers to name the 
varying species in a similar way. Hence we have among 
our sea-anemones such designations as the dahlia, wartlet, 
Sagartia rosea, Actinoloba, Dianthus, and so forth. 



ACTINLE, SEA-ANEMONES, OR SEA-FLOWERS. H 

The beauty of many species is greatly enhanced by the 
fact that several colors are combined in individual specimens. 
Thus sometimes the main body or column will be green, with 
white or golden tentacles, and the base buff with a pink disk 
or tips, or crimson with azure spheroids ; sometimes the whole 
animal will be of one color, varied by different tints and 
shades. Down below, in the caves of the sea, these wonder- 
ful creatures have for untold ages anticipated our modern 
"combination-suits," and have appeared dressed in all the 
glory of scarlet and gold, pink and gray, blue and white, 
green and crimson ; their exquisite taste always selecting ac- 
cords or pleasing contrasts, and avoiding all discordant shades 
which would clash with or " kill " each other, such as we 
sometimes see in human productions. 

In my own limited collection there is a beautiful crimson 
anemone, the Actinia mesembryanthemiim, a native of the 
Bermuda seas, with bright blue eyes, 1 situated at the base of 
the outer row of tentacles; they are about the size of No. 6 
shot, and brilliant as turquoise, to which mineral they bear 
much resemblance, though brighter. I have others of a 
greenish gray with white tips, and a splendid specimen from 
the coast of Massachusetts of a delicate salmon tint, the disk 
being of a deepened tinge. The same waters furnish other 
varieties, the Metridium marginatum being probably the 
most numerous. There is also in my aquarium a lovely 
pure white specimen, taken from New York Harbor. Thus, 
it may be seen, we have these elegant marine beings at our 
very doors ; but how few are there to appreciate them as 
they deserve ! 

As some of our readers, who reside at a distance from 
any public aquarium, may never have had the opportunity 
of examining a living anemone, we will describe, with as 

1 Eyes only in appearance. They are not organs of vision, bat a rudimen- 
tary form of pigment-cells, such as are found on the margin of the naked-eyed 
medusae. 



12 THE OCEAN. 

little use of technical language as possible, their general 
form, habi'ts of life, and modes of reproduction, all of which 
processes are exceedingly interesting, and may be watched 
at leisure through the glass walls of the aquarium. 

The sea-anemone does not belong to the lowest order of 
marine life, but takes rank in the third great division or 
sub-kingdom, the Colexteeata, sub-class Actinozoa. The 
column-shaped body of this animal-flower is soft, but usually 
tough and tenacious, and consists of a simple sac, commonly 
broadened at the base and open at the top or mouth. Within 
this outer sac is a smaller one, which, though serving for a 
stomach, is open at the bottom ; but its internal walls are 
provided with numerous septa (vertical muscular partitions), 
which exert a strong contractile force, and prevent the food 
from escaping until it has performed its office of nourish- 
ment. This sac the animal can turn inside out without in- 
jury or inconvenience. The upper edges of these two sacs 
are united, forming a thick circular lip, from which proceed 
the numerous tentacles that fringe the mouth with a col- 
larette of sensitive and retractile projections, individually 
closely resembling the petals of certain polypetalous flowers ; 
but they are narrow in proportion to their length, and, in- 
stead of being flat like most flower-petals, are hollow and 
susceptible of extension to the point of transparency. With 
them they clasp their food, and perform other curious func- 
tions to be hereafter mentioned. 

In addition to the tentacles, these curious creatures are 
armed for attacking their prey with what we may call fine 
thread-like lassos, of arrow-like sharpness, called cnidce (from 
a Greek word meaning a nettle), from which is transmitted 
a powerful stinging and benumbing sensation, deadly to small 
prey, the victim being affected as by a shock of electricity. 
This I know by experience, for, some years ago, when in 
Bermuda, while attempting to take a large actinia from a 
rock, one of these soft-looking beauties gave me a shock 



ACTIXLE, SEA-AXEMOXES, OK SEA-FLOWERS. 



13 



which disabled my arm 
for hours. 

It will easily be 
understood that this 
concealed battery en- 
ables the sea - anem- 
ones to conquer much 
larger and stronger 
creatures than they 
could hold simply by 
the tentacles ; they 
often seize large 
shrimps, and crabs far 
beyond their own size. 
Occasionally,however, 
if one of these finds 
an anemone weakened 
from any cause, it will 
take up a position 
upon the edge of its 
mouth, keeping it dis- 
tended, and with its 
claws pluck out the 
food from the victim's 
sac and appropriate it 
to its own use. Some- 
times, when such an 
attempt is made, a 
combat ensues, and 
then woe to the ma- 
rauder if he has mis- 
taken the strength of 
the sea-anemone ! He 
will surely fall into 
his own trap. 




14 THE OCEAN. 

Some of the sea-anemones are free-swimming organiza- 
tions, and all have some capacity for movement ; bnt the 
habit of most is to attach themselves to some firm object, as 
a rock or a section of coral, or to the back of a crab or other 
Crustacea. In fact, when free they swim backward, and 
wherever their base encounters a firm object, no matter 
what, there they will fix themselves by suction, and as a gen- 
eral rule contentedly remain. There are two species, how- 
ever, which show a marked preference for the back of a crus- 
tacean. One is called the parasite anemone, and its favorite 
home is on the hard shell of the hermit-crab (the Pagurus 




Hermit-Crab with Sea-Anemo:ne on its Shell. 

Bemhardui) ; and as these crabs are great travelers, and have 
the peculiarity of frequently changing their residence by 
taking possession of the empty shells of other animals, this 
parasite anemone is likely to see far more of the world than 
its more modest brethren. There is one other genus which 
cultivates the parasitic habit, the Adamsia, which selects the 
crab P. Prideauxii for its place of abode. This habit is 
known as commensalism, as they are presumed to dine at the 
same table. 



ACTINLE, SEA-ANEMONES, OR SEA-FLOWERS. 15 

Once located, the sea-anemone lias only to continue sed- 
entary, to open its mouth, and wait for food to float within 
reach of its tentacles, and ocean-water furnishes a never-fail- 
ing supply of the lower forms of infusoria, zoophytes, and 
polyps, I give mine small portions of clams, oysters, or 
sometimes scraped chicken. If anything enters their mouth 
winch proves unacceptable, they very promptly eject it. 

Anemones may live singly or in society, but they readily 
tend to reproduction, as most of them are hermaphrodite and 
are singly capable of producing living germs. Besides, the 
anemones are not reduced to a single mode of reproduction ; 
and though the birth of an anemone might in the aristocratic 
circles of the Actinozoa be considered more strictly legiti- 
mate when the germ is nourished within the sac, yet this 
mode is not uniformly adhered to. When, however, this is 
the case, the larva remains within the sac until a certain 
stage of development is reached, when it is ejected from the 
mouth of the parent, and sets out on its own account, a free 
though as yet an imperfectly developed anemone — needing 
only a little more time to complete its structure, affix itself 
to a permanent base, and become the nucleus of a new so- 
ciety. When these young are first set free, they usually ap- 
pear with only six tentacles ; subsequently these are multi- 
plied by sixes to twelve, twenty-four, forty-eight, and so on, 
until in the full maturity of the creature they sometimes ap- 
proach to two hundred in number. 

Nearly or quite all scientific writers on zoology represent 
this as the invariable procedure in this kind of propagation. 
But one of my anemones has, within a few weeks, given 
birth to seventeen young ; and certainly in two instances 
which I observed, instead of ignominiously ejecting them 
from the mouth as above described, these were tenderly taken 
from the mouth by two tentacles, which then became wonder- 
fully elongated, and these young larvw were carefully de- 
posited on the rock which served the mother-anemone as a 



16 THE OCEAN. 

base. They are now alive and wonderfully active in their 
independent existence. To the nninstructed eye it was as 
if one looking at a dahlia or aster should suddenly see the 
flower pluck a bud from its centre by two of its petals, ex- 
tend these to the earth, and there deposit the germ, which 
should thereupon begin to develop into a mature flower ! 
Would not such a sight be worth going a long journey to 
see ? Yet as curious actions, by these and other small marine 
animals, may be witnessed by any one sufficiently interested 
to keep and faithfully watch even a small aquarium. 

But this internal process of germination is supplemented 
by two other kinds : gemmation, or budding, and fission, or 
division. In the former the young are formed on the out- 
side of the parent, on the side or near the base, from which 
at the proper moment they detach themselves and become 
independent existences. By the process of fission, the sev- 
ered parts, as with many polyps, grow into perfect individu- 
als. . Should an anemone be divided horizontally, the lower 
part would soon form a new mouth and tentacles ; the upper 
part would remain for some time open at both ends, fruitless- 
ly endeavoring to satisfy its appetite for food which floated 
through it — a more hopeless effort than that of Tantalus 
— but Nature, kinder to the anemone than to him, soon 
comes to its relief, as the lower portion eventually closes, 
developing a new sac and tentacles, and the creature con- 
tinues to live as a twin or double anemone. If divided ver- 
tically, there is a tendency to reunite and form two parallel 
growths, each somewhat slimmer than the original. 

Some species have a habit of throwing off portions of 
their base, which form into new individuals. The Actinia 
dianthus has this fissiparous habit, and others may suffer 
vivisection from man with similar results. The severed por- 
tion may be without germs or ova ; it is only necessary that 
the piece cut away should contain the three elementary tis- 
sues of the animal, i. e., the tegumentary, the muscular, and 



ACTINLE, SEA-ANEMONES, OR SEA-FLOWERS. 



17 



the ciliated lining membrane, so tenacious of life and full of 
vivifying power are these delicate-looking creatures. 

It would take a volume to fully describe even a small 
portion of the numerous varieties of sea-anemones. But, 
among those which have been most successfully preserved 
in aquaria, we may mention the parasite anemone, which 
affects the hermit-crab; and this, we may say, has been 
proved to be a deliberate and not accidental partnership. 
Gosse relates that, having found an anemone on a shell de- 




Actinle. or Sea-Anemones, which live in the Sand and are often unattached. — 
1. PeacMa liastata, Gosse. — 2. Edwardsia callimorpMa, Gosse. — 3. Ralccampa 
chrysanthellum, Gosse — the last mostly buried in the sand. 



serted by a hermit-crab, he put it, still adhering to its old 
home, into his aquarium. It soon left the deserted abode, 
and stuck to the glass walls of its prison ; but the crab being 
placed in the tank, and again taking possession of the shell, 
the anemone left the glass and returned to the back of the 
crab and remained there. The cloak-anemone always seeks 



18 THE OCEAN. 

to base itself on the inner lip of some univalve shell. The 
sand-pintlet, Halocampa chrysanthellum, needs only sand 
enough at the bottom of the tank to burrow in ; and, when 
he raises his beautiful head and looks about for food, he 
easily pays for his lodging, which is certainly inexpensive. 

The globe-horn, Corynactis viridis, is of a beautiful yel- 
lowish emerald-green, sometimes of a translucent white, hav- 
ing umber tentacles, or brown with pink tips. This species 
has the peculiarity of not embracing its food with its ten- 
tacles ; it simply opens its mouth wide and receives what 
floats toward it. 

A curious species is the vestlet, Cerianthus Zoydii, about 
seven inches long. It has in its natural state a rough, felty 
coat, which can be stripped off without injury to the creat- 
ure, and to prevent its reforming it may be kept in a glass 
tube within the aquarium. 

Some of these sea-anemones secrete calcareous matter or 
corallum, and are considered a connecting link with the true 
corals. Of this class are the Cajmeadce, of the tribe of Ca- 
ryqphylliacce. 

The eyed Sagartia is so named from the fact that when 
its tentacles shrink, or are withdrawn, there remain small, 
elevated points resembling the eyes of a butterfly's wing. 

Some dwellers by the sea in the south of Europe, more 
blessed wdth good appetites than aesthetic taste, do not hesi- 
tate to cook and eat these beautiful sea-flowers ; the taste is 
said to resemble that of the soft crab. The celebrated Eng- 
lish naturalist Gosse also tasted them, and pronounced them 
superior in flavor to the periwinkle. 

"Full many a gem of purest ray serene 

The dark, unt'athomed caves of ocean bear ; 
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, 
And waste its sweetness on the desert air." 



CHAPTEE III. 

LIVING CORALS. 

"We wandered where the dreamy palm 
Murmured above the sleeping wave, 
And through the waters clear and calm 
Looked down into the coral cave." 

Among the advantages of travel may well be reckoned 
the memories of scenes passed through — the advent ares and 
labors shared in common with sympathizing companions — 
especially when the object of the journey was the observa- 
tion and study of natural productions, fauna or flora, on land, 
river, or sea. Every practical marine zoologist must have 
shared in the keen delight and curious expectancy of watch- 
ing the rise of the dredging-machine, as it approached the 
deck from its foraging excursion below. How we hoped to 
find this or that — some particular specimen upon which we 
had set our hearts ; and with what disappointment we turned 
away if nothing of value was discovered, or only the com- 
monest specimens appeared, of which we already had abun- 
dance ! But did the eye perceive some unknown form, with 
what ardor it was secured, and yet with what gentleness and 
delicacy it was handled and inspected ! — for experience had 
taught us that some of the most beautiful marine forms are 
not to be touched with impunity, many of them possessing 
stinging qualities, while others, like the brittle-star, have the 
inconvenient habit of dismembering themselves if displeased 
or frightened. 



20 THE OCEAN. 

There are many favorable locations for finding varied 
and curious specimens, such as the waters of the Mediterra- 
nean, the shores of Japan, and the coral islands of the Pa- 
cific ; but, for those who cannot make extended voyages, 
there is perhaps no better hunting-ground for marine curi- 
osities than the Bermuda islands. One reason for this prob- 
ably is, that in favorable years the Gulf Stream throws many 
exotics on its shores ; but a more permanent cause may be 
found in the fact that this group of islands is entirely or- 
ganic, and that both fossil and living specimens of corals, 
mollusca, annelids, and wondrously beautiful fishes, may be 
found in abundance. But it is of coral alone that we now 
design to speak, and this interesting production may also be 
sought among the Florida Keys. 

It is not strange that so curious and beautiful an object 
as coral should have early attracted the attention both of 
naturalists and ordinary travelers. Even the common sea- 
man likes to take home a piece of coral to adorn his humble 
abode, while learned scientists have reasoned and argued with 
pertinacity and zeal over the mystery of its construction. 
The Greeks named it the " Daughter of the Sea," but are 
not known to have investigated its nature or mode of growth. 
For a long period it was the subject of curious conjectures, 
such as that it was a vegetable formation, and again that it 
was soft while in the water, and only hardened on exposure 
to the air ; and even to the present time there remain in the 
popular conception several curious errors in regard to its 
growth. Indeed, we have heard public speakers, clergymen 
and others, in pursuit of an illustration, speak of " the won- 
derful labors of the coral insect ! " In this short phrase are 
involved two fundamental errors ; for the coral-producers 
are neither laborers nor insects. 

Another very common mistake is the supposition that 
they are exceedingly minute — even microscopic — in size. 
This is far from being the case. Having had several varie- 



LIVING CORALS. 21 

ties under observation in my aquarium for years, I can assure 
the reader that they are not only large enough to be plainly 
seen by the naked eye, but that they sometimes elongate 
themselves nearly an inch above the upper edge of their cell, 
measuring one-third of an inch in diameter. 

But some one may ask, " If the coral-producers are not 
insects, what are they % " We answer, mainly polyps, with 
some hydroids and soft mollusks of the lowest class. These 
are all soft-bodied organisms, consisting of many varieties, 
having the organic function of secreting carbonate of lime, 
which, with some other ingredients, as silica and small por- 
tions of sand, composes the hard substance called coral. 

The body of the polyp consists of a cylindrical skin, 
with an inside sac, which is the stomach, and is furnished at 
the top with thread-like appendages, with which it draws in 
its food. Whatever it does not wish to retain in the stom- 
ach it rejects by the mouth, having no other resource, as the 
lower end of the polyp is affixed to the stony substance. 
When expanded, these thread - like tentacles around the 
mouth give them a flower-like appearance. It is between 
the outer skin and the sac or stomach that the limestone is 
secreted which forms the coral substance. 

It will thus be seen that the polyp does not gather or col- 
lect from external sources the material of the coral — does 
not in any correct sense work or "build" any more than a 
tree may be said to work as it grows into wood. Nature has 
simply provided that, in receiving its food, the polyp selects 
from the ingredients of the sea-water that which is capable 
of being reduced by simple functional processes into coral ; 
just as a plant selects and secretes from the earth that kind 
of nourishment which makes stems, leaves, and buds. 

Each mature polyp, when fixed in its cell, may be con- 
sidered as resting upon the tombs of its ancestors ; and, 
when it dies, its descendants will repeat the process over 
its remains, and its own body, within which its share of 



22 THE OCEAN. 

coral lias been secreted, will be the base for a new living 
descendant. 

The cells of the coral colony are not retreats into which 
the polyps come and go, like a bird bnilding its nest, but 
part and parcel of the creature ; just as much so as are the 
bones belonging to a human body — with this difference, that 
in the case of the polyp the stony part (representing the 
osseous structure in man) is all at the lower portion, while 
the upper part is soft and flexible ; but in a healthy condition 
they are inseparably combined. 

It is well known that the power of secretion is inherent 
in all living tissue, while its matter and form are varied in 
every possible degree, from the animalcule to the superior 
mammal. This power or faculty is possessed in full perf ec- 




D ana's Astgangia {Astrangia Dance, Agassiz): c, a growing cluster; a, a single polyp en- 
larged ; b, the dead coral. 

tion by what we call the lower forms of life, and it is among 
these we find the stone-makers ; for the simplicity of their 
structure is such that they may be nearly all stone while yet 
the small portion of vital substance carries on the processes 
of nutrition and growth. 

It is not generally known, outside of the circle of natural- 
ists and the scientists connected with the Coast Survey ser- 
vice, that coral grows on our own North Atlantic shores, the 
popular belief being that all corals are to be sought for in 
warm climates. There is one variety at least, Astrangia 



LIVING CORALS. 23 

Dance, which has been found on the shores of Massachusetts 
and Connecticut. But what we call true coral has not hith- 
erto been kept in a living condition in any other private aqua- 
rium than my own. So far as I know, my acquisition is 
unique, being the only living specimen of the true coral-pro- 
ducing polyp preserved in captivity within the United States, 
though plenty of it may be found at the Florida Keys, some 
parts of the West Indies, and at the Bermudas. But these 
delicate creatures cannot be preserved except under favor- 
able conditions ; and constant care is required when in the 
aquarium to see that no injurious substance or fellow-captives 
come in contact with them. 

The Astrangia, specimens of which have been found in 
the vicinity of New Haven and other points along the Sound, 
differs in this particular from other varieties of coral : the 
polyp rises more prominently above its cell ; the coral secre- 
tion being limited to its base, and not, as in the reef -building 
and some others, continuing the secretion between the outer 
walls of the internal sac and the epithecum. The tentacles 
have minute warty prominences upon them, which are full 
of lasso-cells. I have never seen specimens of this variety 
above three or four inches in diameter, by less than one in 
height. The specimens I have are fine indeed. I have seen 
them when the mass of little animals with their myriads of 
fleecy locks looked like a pure white ball of snow. 

Among other varieties of coral which I have succeeded 
in preserving in health and good working order is a fine 
specimen of the species known as Occulina. Its peculiarity 
is its branched or tree-like form ; its zoothome, or mass of 
living occupants, when out in all their glory, are so numer- 
ous as nearly to hide the stony substance of the corallum, 
presenting the appearance of a stem and branches adorned 
with living flowers. In this variety the tentacles are shorter 
than in some other kinds, nor have they the power of elon- 
gating themselves to the same extent. They are colored, but 



24 THE OCEAN. 

not uniformly of one shade ; they are often greenish or of 
an umber tint, with changeable iridescent color. They are 
usually considered more elegant than the reef -building va- 
riety, from which their internal structure does not materi- 
ally differ. 

It will be perceived that the association of the polyps in 
all compound groups must be of the most intimate kind ; 
for, though each individual has a separate mouth, tentacles, 
and stomach, yet the intervening tissue which connects them 
is subject to a free circulation of fluids through its pores or 
lacunes. Thus the zoothome as a whole must be considered 
as a living mass of animal matter, which is all benefited by 
the nourishment received through the individual members. 
It is a perfect commonwealth of its kind, even exceeding in 
perfection that of the honey-bees ; for there are no drones 
among the polyps. 

How long the coral polyps will live is not known. I 
have preserved mine in pure sea-water for years, and they 
appear to be as fresh and healthy as ever, active and indus- 
trious ; but this industry, as has been explained, does not 
consist in any such operation as " building." Their simple 
and sole business is eating ; and that a strong stony structure 
is the result, is no more creditable to them than it is to a 
maple-tree to secrete sugar, nor does it indicate any more 
effort. 

The process of coral growth is, however, very slow, if my 
specimens are any criterion. But a very minute addition 
has been made to my corallum during the years that I have 
had it. I cannot say, however, whether it might not have 
progressed more rapidly had it been left in its original 
habitat. 

But though my corallum has grown so slowly in height 
or lateral extent, it has increased very fairly by gemmation 
or budding ; a considerable number of infant polyps have 
been added to the group, always, so far as I have observed, 



LIVING CORALS. 25 

in the autumn, October and November. At first the young 
larvae are worm-like in form, whitish and semi-transparent ; 
they are very agile, and dart about in all directions, swim- 
ming, as we may say, " stern foremost," as their mouths are 
always in the rear. But this life of freedom soon comes to 
an end : Fate has ordained that they shall become fixed to 
their parent-stem or some other stationary object. Their 
mode of swimming facilitates this result, the base having a 
natural tendency to adhere on contact; and thus its gay 
youth is soon exchanged for a sedentary life, with no other 
changes than that of eating and digesting their food. 

There are few natural objects more pleasing than an asso- 
ciation of these corallets ; for, as the polyps rise above their 
cells and extend their fine long tentacles, resembling threads 
of pure white silk, waving them to and fro like the radiated 
petals of a fairy-flower swayed by a gentle zephyr, or, again, 
like a minute feather fan slightly concave at the edge, they 
present an exceedingly animated and elegant appearance. 
Sometimes, when nearly at rest and the filaments are more 
contracted, they suggest the appearance of a dense frost set- 
tled upon a bed of moss. 

But these fairy-like implements, with which the coral- 
polyp gathers in its food, are not such innocent objects as 
they appear to the naked eye. Examined under a magnifying- 
glass, there may be observed on the tentacles a row of slight 
protuberances, one larger than the rest being situated at the 
tip. These might easily be mistaken for ornaments, but 
their character is far different : they may, in fact, be looked 
upon as the creature's armory, for within them lie concealed 
cnidce or lasso-like filaments, sometimes called capsule-threads, 
which are capable of being thrown out to a distance many 
times the length of their own bodies. It is with these that 
they capture their prey ; for these little soft animals are car- 
nivorous in their habits, and indeed have not yet abandoned 
the barbarous practice of infusing poison into their darts. 



26 THE OCEAN". 

In each of these cnidce is secreted an injurious fluid, which 
partially or wholly paralyzes the small Crustacea or other 
animals which the tentacles seize ; and whatever small prey 
falls within their grasp is very promptly and certainly se- 
cured. The mouth of the polyp being in the centre of the 
upper portion of the body, the victim thus seized is rapidly 
passed into it by aid of the longer tentacles, and thence de- 
scends to the stomach. 

The actinoids, to which class these coral-polyps belong, 
owe nearly theii whole success in foraging to these concealed 
weapons, which are numbered by myriads. The cavities 
which contain them have been called by Agassiz lasso or 
nettling cells. G-osse names them cnidce or thread-capsules, 
because the small cell-shaped sheath contains these slender 
tubular threads, coiled up, ready for use ; and they are darted 
out with astonishing rapidity when a victim happens to stray 
within reach. The poison is communicated instantly at the 
first contact. 

Should you have the least feeling of doubt as to the 
stinging propensity of these little animals, you may readily 
satisfy yourself on the subject by just touching your tongue 
or lips to the surface of the corallum, when you will receive 
such a sensational explanation on this point as you will 
never forget. In handling and arranging living corals from 
time to time, I have felt this poisonous stinging sensation, 
and suffered considerable pain for an hour, and some degree 
of inconvenience for more than twenty hours after. The 
shock from these, however, is much less severe than from 
the anemones, as mentioned in the chapter on those living 
" sea-flowers." 

The food received into the stomach is always digested 
before the animal retires to its quiescent condition within its 
cell or calicle. If closely observed, this process can be actu- 
ally seen through the semi-transparent, glassy walls of the 
living polyp. I have tested this by furnishing my pets with 



LIVING CORALS. 27 

small portions of our ordinary edible mollusks, not over the 
fifteenth of an inch in size — perhaps as large as half a me- 
dium-sized Zante currant. 

In the Corallidce the axis is wholly calcareous, firm and 
solid throughout, of a color usually varying from crimson to 
rose-red. In this class belongs the Corallium ruhrum, the 
red or precious coral. The cortex — that is, the outer crust, 
resembling somewhat the bark of a tree — is in this species 
thin, contains comparatively few calcareous spiculge, and may 
be readily rubbed off when dried specimens are handled. 
This outside cortex is of a coralline nature, but the true coral 
is the red axis which it envelops. When specimens of this 
variety have been carefully preserved, the polyp-centres may 
be perceived ; they are distinguished by the appearance of a 
faint six-rayed star. When living they are similar to other 
alcyonoids in respect to the number of their tentacles, there 
being eight, and fully fringed. In the living corallum they 
open out profusely, as was described in the branched form, 
making an exceedingly beautiful object. The branches have 
a tendency to expand horizontally. 

Although I have not yet been fortunate enough to obtain 
a living specimen of this variety, I hope soon to receive one, 
and may yet be able to describe their habits and growth from 
my own observation. Large quantities of this precious coral, 
or coral of commerce, are annually fished up from the rocky 
bottom of the Mediterranean Sea and carried to the Paris 
and London markets, whence much of it reaches New York. 
Some extensive dealers, such as Messrs. Tiffany & Co., of 
this city, use in their jewelry hundreds of thousands of dol- 
lars' worth annually. Some shades of it are immensely valu- 
able. The real rose-pink is so much sought after, that its 
value becomes almost fabulous, being sometimes sold at 
twenty-five times its own weight in pure gold ; it is always 
sold by the ounce or pennyweight. When more than a few 
inches in length, its value is still further augmented, as few 



28 THE OCEAN. 

pieces of any considerable size are ever offered for sale. This 
scarcity tends to enhance its worth, as well as the intrinsic 
beanty of its peculiar color. Mr. Gideon F. T. Reed, of 
Paris, some years ago kindly presented Mrs. Damon with 
what might be considered a giant specimen of this coral, 
measuring some twelve inches in surface ; it is likewise of a 
most graceful branching form, something like the antler of 
a deer. This she only allows, me to look at on rare occasions ! 
It is certainly the finest specimen of this coral that I have 
ever seen. The Got allium rubrum is found at depths vary- 
ing from twenty-five to a thousand feet. 

The black coral, Corallium nigrescens, is still more scarce, 
and, though capable of being worked into bijouterie, on ac- 
count of the small number of specimens which have been 
secured it is very rarely met with in commerce. One hand- 
some variety of this color is the Antijpathes subpinnata, so 
named on account of its spiny habit of growth. " It is," says 
M. Moquin-Tandon, " a fragile and brittle polypier. When 
dry, the branches, slender and delicate, resemble the barbs 
of a feather." It is sometimes found with a brownish or 
greenish tinge. The bark or cortex is soft and pliable, being 
destitute of calcareous or silicious matter, and is easily rubbed 
off when the coral is dead. The polyps are of a yellowish 
color, and long as compared with other varieties. 

The large, massive forms of coral, whether of the dome, 
reef, or tree-like shape, would never reach the magnificent 
proportions that they do were it not for that peculiar pro- 
vision of Nature in regard to the zoophytes, of life and 
death both proceeding simultaneously and successively ; each, 
combined and singly, aiding in one and the same object. 
This curious condition of growth favors the coral aggrega- 
tion by allowing the living polyp, as it secretes the calcareous 
matter, to mount upward on that which it has already secreted 
and deposited. From the successful execution of this ascend- 
ing process, we are led to infer either that the creature has 



LIVING CORALS. 29 

the power of indefinite elongation, or that it must desert the 
precipitated portion of the corallnm as growth proceeds ; and, 
in fact, this last is what actually occurs. In some instances 
a polyp of only an inch in length, and even less, has been 
found at the top of a stem many inches in height ; for the 
whole substance of what is called " living coral " is in reality 
dead, excepting the extreme surface or point of each branch 
occupied by the little animal. The living tissues which once 
filled the cells of the lower portion of the corallum have been 
consumed by natural processes, and have disappeared as 
growth went on above. Some writers, speaking of this sub- 
ject, use the expression that these tissues have " dried away ; " 
but how they could "dry" away under water is not very 
clear. 

On this theory of the growth of corallum, it would seem 
that there is no necessary limit to its increase in height, and 
that the elevation might extend indefinitely ; but, practically, 
we find that its natural limit is the surface of the sea. When 
that point is reached, the polyp dies, apparently from the 
exposure only, and not from any inherent cause of death in 
the animal organization. Some one or two exceptions to this 
rule have been reported, as madrepores having been found 
" alive and well " six inches above low tide ; but the narrator 
does not say how long they remained alive ! In those dense, 
weighty, dome-like forms called Astrcea, the rule certainly 
holds good : when the summit attains the level of the sea, 
progress ceases as to height, but it may yet be enlarged con- 
siderably as to breadth; and, should we endeavor to sep- 
arate one of these masses into their respective living and 
dead portions, we should have in the former a hemispherical 
shell, perhaps not more than half an inch thick, while the 
dome would be a mere dead mass of stone, perhaps ten or 
fifteen feet in diameter. 

The final solidification of the coral mass is aided by the 
increased secretion by the polyp shortly before its death, 



30 



THE OCEAN. 



filling all the pores with this stony matter in proportion as 
the vital tissues occupying them shrink and dwindle. This 
last deposit greatly aids in strengthening those tree-like or 




Clttstee of Coeal-Polyps {Asteroides calycularis, 
Milne-Edwards), in various stages of expansion. 



Dead Coeal {Asteroides caly- 
cularis, Milne-Edwards). 




Meandeina ceeebeifoemis. 



branched coral growths which, though so slender of form, 
are really very strong. 

The facility with which polyps repair an injury, a fract- 
ure, or disturbance of any kind, is common to many of the 



LIVING CORALS. 31 

lower marine organisms. A blow or sudden shock given to 
a mass of coral wonld probably cause the whole community 
to withdraw into their cells for a short time, perhaps an hour 
or more. Should even a portion be broken off, the inhabi- 
tants of the remaining mass would not long remain in re- 
treat ; but very soon we should see them, with their upper 
surface exposed, and their tentacles all expanded, commenc- 
ing the process of restoration without loss of time. The 
separated portion would either adhere in some crook or 
cranny of the mass, and reunite with its old associates, or, if 
too far removed for contact, would become fixed on some 
rock or other firm substance, and continue to grow regardless 
of the accident, perhaps becoming the nucleus of a mass as 
large as its parent group. It would do this by cementing its 
base, through new coral secretions, to whatever substance it 
came in contact with, if in any way favorable to its habits 
and nature. 

The common surf -corals, of which branching madrepore 
and the dome-shaped astrsea are good examples, consist al- 




ASTRiEA PALLIDA (living). 



most wholly of carbonate of lime — the same ingredient which 
constitutes ordinary limestone. In 100 parts, 95 to 98 are 
of this substance, and of the remainder there are about four 
parts of organic matter, with some earthy ingredients and 
traces of silica, and in a few cases fluorine has been detected. 



32 THE OCEAN. 

Its density exceeds that of common limestone or marble, as 
may be tested by striking it with an iron instrument. 

The varieties of coral are very numerous, some growing 
in masses and others living an independent individual exist- 
ence, and all very interesting in their way ; but, as this little 
work is designed to give the results of our own observation 
and experience, we shall not indulge in any extensive descrip- 
tion of other varieties than such as we are personally ac- 
quainted with. Our only regret, in closing this chapter, is 
that we feel the utter inability to express by words the charm ' 
which these interesting creatures are capable of exerting over 
the mind of the lover of Nature, who watches them daily, 
feeds them, observes their changes, recognizes the condition 
of their health by the greater or less force with which they 
wave their little fairy nags of white, and follows with the 
keenest interest the fate and fortunes of the infant polyps, 
born under the loving and gentle captivity of our crystal- 
walled aquarium. 



CHAPTER IV. 

HOUSE-BUILDERS OF TEE SEA. 

Ocean architects, house-builders, decorators, masons, 
weavers, jewelers, dyers, butchers, mowers, scavengers, sur- 
geons! Who would expect to find the trades and profes- 
sions represented to this extent among the denizens of the 
ocean ? And yet in this list I have named but a portion of 
the curious marine operators which we have under daily ob- 
servation in my own aquarium. 

It would almost seem that the most ingenious architects 
and the finest constructive instinct were to be found ap- 
parently in the most insignificant forms. It is in the lower 
orders of animal life peculiarly that there are hidden from 
common observation worlds of beauty and wonderful dis- 
plays of skill, of which the transient or careless observer has 
no conception. 

Peering through the transparent walls of my aquarium, 
filled with clear, bright sea-water, I have for years daily 
watched these marvelous operations with never-wearying in- 
terest. The unexpected revelations of curious instinct, which 
in some cases seems to approach the verge of reason, the 
growth, the changes, the curious and beautiful combinations 
of form and color, are revelations more like a glimpse into 
fairy-land, or the realization of some fantasy of the imagina- 
tion, than simple facts in Nature's inexhaustible storehouse. 
And when we consider how many extinct myriads of these 
creatures have gone on unnoticed, even unknown to man, 
for so many ages, exercising skill and apparent taste, with no 



34 THE OCEAN. 

eye to observe them superior to their own class, it gives 
something of a shock to the pride of man, who is apt to 
consider that all the lower animals were made for his con- 
venience. 

ANNELIDA. 

Serpula. — The architectural productions of some of these 
submarine workers are of no mean order, each building its 
own residence, with separate stones, grains of sand, little 
hard pellets of any kind which will answer the purpose — 
laying them on in regular tiers as neatly as a mason. Among 
these pretty and interesting animals is the Serpula corvtortvr 
plieata, which is distinguished from the Serpula vermicu- 
laris by always holding its head up above the latter, the 
upper portion of its tube being nearly vertical. When the 
animal is at work, with its feathery plumes fully expanded, 
it far surpasses any flower in the extreme delicacy of its 
beauty. An inexperienced person might naturally take these 
serpulee for coral-builders, seeing that their stone-like house 
is composed of very similar-looking material; but in the 
classification of the zoologists they are entirely disconnected. 
They belong to the class known as Annelida — that is, worm- 
like, as the animal itself really appears when out of its sheath- 
like house ; but never was worm of the earth adorned with 
such a beautiful head-dress as this annelid of the sea. They 
are generally found in clusters on the back of a broad shell, 
like a mass of tubes, contorted into various curves and twists 
at the lower ends, sometimes lying nearly horizontally on the 
shell or stone to which they are attached, and then, after 
sundry windings and twi stings, shooting up in a nearly ver- 
tical direction several inches. The beautiful plume or head- 
dress, as we have called it, which is the most attractive point 
in this creature, really consists of its breathing-organs — the 
branchiae or lungs. Just think of carrying one's lungs on 
the top of the head in the form of delicate-sprayed plumes ! 
The color of these branchiEe is extremely variable ; they 



HOUSE-BUILDERS OF THE SEA. 



35 



number about eighteen separate barbs on each side, some- 
times of a purplish brown, transversely marked with flake- 
white, intermingled with yellowish green ; the pinnse have 
about the same colors. Sometimes we have the whole plume 
an orange-brown, white, salmon, chestnut, orange, or an um- 
ber-brown. 

They construct their tube-like homes from lime, which 
always exists in a state of solution in sea-water, and which 




An Annelidan City. 



the serpulse know perfectly well how to appropriate and 
apply. Mine have added half an inch to the height of their 
houses in a few weeks after transferring them from their 
ocean habitat to my glass vase. If their tubes are acciden- 
tally broken, they are equally apt at repairing, and the de- 
ficiency or injury is soon made good. A year ago my 
group of serpulse was tumbled down against the side of the 
glass, and a few days later I was very much interested in see- 



36 THE OCEAN. 

ing that the industrious little creatures had begun to recon- 
struct their broken houses. This, to my great satisfaction, 
they did by using the side of the glass tank as a support or 
buttress ; they thus economized labor and material, while I 
had the benefit of being able to watch the whole proceedings 
without any intervening obstruction. This was a fine chance 
for learning the secret of these mysterious marine masons, and 
their modus operandi soon became familiarly known to me. 

In addition to the ornamental branchiae which we have 
described, these animals are furnished with a curious append- 
age which answers the purpose of a front-door to their dwell- 
ing ; it is called the operculum, and looks when shut like a 
small disk which completely closes the entrance to the tube, 
like a cork in a bottle, supposing that the cork, instead of 
protruding, was sunken a short distance below the mouth. 
When the creature is frightened, or for any cause retreats 
into its shelly tube, this operculum is the last portion drawn 
in, and is the first protruded when the owner chooses to 
reappear. Its movements in the act of withdrawal are so 
rapid that I have never yet actually seen it shut its door, 
but on examination have found it securely closed to all in- 
truders. 

When additions of any kind are made to the aqua- 
rium, the serpulse exhibit great timidity ; even the passing 
of my hand over the glass will cause a retreat, or the sud- 
den shifting or raising of a curtain which affects the light 
thrown upon them. Equally on a changeful day, when sun 
and cloud alternate in the sky, these atmospheric changes 
affect the movements of these sensitive creatures. From 
this extreme sensibility to movements and shadows, it is rea- 
sonable to infer that the creature has organs of vision, though 
naturalists have not yet succeeded in pointing out the loca- 
tion of the eyes. 1 Familiarity and habit soon reconcile them 

1 M. A. Quatrefages thinks he has discovered eyes upon ilie hranchice of the 
Sabella, an annelid closely related to the Serpula. 



HOUSE-BUILDERS OF THE SEA. 37 

to captivity, and in a few weeks they become quite domestic, 
and even sociable, so that they can be fed ; and, if they chance 
to be inside when I approach, they will come out to see me. 

There are several varieties of serpulse. That kind known 
as the Stillata forms its valve or operculum of three distinct 
plates, threaded together, thus arming itself with a triple 
door. Another variety, called Citrina, builds its tube inde- 
pendently and lives alone, as if it objected to neighbors, while 
most of the other varieties are found in groups ; it is of a 
bright lemon-color, and very beautiful. Its operculum is 
somewhat shorter and thicker than that of the variety first 
described. 

The apparatus by means of which the serpulse perform 
their upward and downward movements is a marvel of inge- 
nuity. The body of the annelid is composed of seven dis- 
tinct segments, and from each of these projects a pair of 
tubercles, each containing a bundle of bristles, which can be 
thrust out at the will of the animal ; at the end of each of 
these bristles are four sharp points, one being longer than 
the others. In ascending, these bristles are thrust against 
the walls of the tube, which gives the creature a forward 
impulse ; contraction follows, the hinder set of feet-like bris- 
tles are brought up, and so the movement is repeated till the 
end is accomplished. Now for the descent: Attached to 
each of these bristle-like feet is a small ring, resting on tri- 
angular plates ; each plate is notched with seven teeth ; six 
turn one way, and the seventh is reversed. There being 
one hundred and thirty-six on each ring, and as many rings 
as feet, there are fourteen times one hundred and thirty-six 
of these prehensile plates. With all of these teeth the ser- 
pula can seize upon the lining membrane of its tube to aid 
in its descent.. 

Sjrirorbis. — How many of our readers have picked up on 
the sea-shore specimens of sea-weed on which they observed 
small white rings which looked like a coralline substance ? 



38 THE OCEAN. 

And how large a proportion of those who have looked for a 
moment at the little circles have realized that they held in 
their hands a whole colony of living or lately living creat- 
ures ? These are the Spiro? l bis, a minnte variety of annelids, 
and nearly related to the showy serpula. It is usually found 
attached to the leaves of the Rhodymenia or the Chondrus 
'erispw, though it is also fonnd upon rocks and stones. It 
is nsnally found in considerable masses on the flat surfaces 
of the leaves or stones. The shells are very small indeed, 
looking something like the "mite sugar-plums" or small 
coriander-seeds ; the shape is spiral, and it generally consists 
of only one whorl. These little creatures cement themselves 
so firmly to the leaves that it would be impossible to shake 
them off. From the largest end of the little tube-like circle 
they put out lovely infinitesimal, plume-like branchige, resem- 
bling those of their larger relatives the serpulae, but so fine 
and delicate that it requires a lens to bring out all their 
beauties. In almost every collection of algge will some of 
these tiny shells be found adherent on the preserved speci- 
mens, but to secure them living is not easy. It was not until 
about a year ago that I was able to add a live colony of these 
exquisite little spirorbes to my aquarium. 

Sabella. — Among the groups of my serpulse another fam- 
ily has found good quarters ; they are evidently relations, and 
apparently on good terms, though not following the same 
fashions exactly. These are the Sabella tribe, inhabiting 
tubes like their neighbors, but made of different material. 
Instead of being formed of hard limestone, the tube is in- 
tegumentary, or of a leather-like texture ; its diameter is 
about the same as that of the serpulse, but it generally rises 
somewhat higher. From the upper orifice of its house or 
tube the sabella displays a much larger wreath of plume- 
like appendages, which in its graceful form rivals its neigh- 
bor the serpula. Its color is not so variegated or brilliant, 
but it makes up for this deficiency by its superior size ; the 



HOUSE-BUILDERS OF THE SEA. 39 

disk in some of my specimens would measure over half an 
inch across. 

This little creature has also its means of locking up its 
house, and can conceal itself within as securely as its rela- 
tives in their harder shell ; and, when in danger from the 
hungry tramps of the sea, it can drop down as promptly, 
and close its door in the face of all obtrnclers, with full con- 
fidence that none will dare to molest it. 

Another curious little animal, also an annelid, is gener- 
ally to be fonnd rearing its cozy home amid the tubes of the 
serpulee. It cannot boast perhaps of as much beauty of color 
and waving plume, but its habits are so interesting and really 
wonderful, that I think it takes the lead as an object of curi- 
osity of all the tube-building fraternity. Its tube is not 
homogeneous in its composition like that of the serpula, but 
it makes an aggregation of separate particles, artistically 
welded or fitted together like a piece of mosaic-work. This 
tube is not a secretion, like the cell of the coral- polyps ; it 
does not groiv, but is voluntarily and with great skill and 
care built up by the animal. In its construction it will use 
the very finest material — little specks of fine sand, and even 
dust that may chance to fall on the surface of the water. 
It also discriminates as to color, apparently preferring the 
brighter particles. For instance, I have ground red coral to 
powder, and put it into the water ; upon this the little an- 
nelid would promptly seize, and immediately appropriate 
it for building purposes. Sometimes its tube presents not 
only a showy but thoroughly patriotic appearance, display- 
ing the national colors of red, white, and blue ! In size it 
varies considerably, averaging somewhat less than that of 
the serpula. 

A casual observer might see this wonderful worker many 
times without perceiving or appreciating its artistic move- 
ments ; but get him once under a good lens, and you will 
see not only all the machinery in full operation but also the 



40 THE OCEAN. 

object of its unwearied toil. Indeed, this busy little work- 
man lifts and carries bits of stone (hypothetical bricks), grains 
of sand, coral, glass, or shell, or any atoms which will serve 
its purpose, raises them to the top of its unfinished walls, 
and there places them with as much precision, neatness, ra- 
pidity, and in as regular order, as the most experienced brick- 
layer. It is perfectly marvelous. One might watch them 
for hours together and uever grow weary. 

But how do they do it ? 

"When the operation is seen, it is easily comprehended. 
The explanation presents some difficulties, though I have 
seen them build enough to create an annelidan city; but 
we will try to make it clear how the material for the con- 
struction of this little ocean tenement is hoisted up and 
placed in exactly the right position to complete its circular 
walls. 

In the first place, the creature has some twenty or thirty 
long, hair-like arms, which it propels out of the end of its 
tube. Extending these in every direction and to an incred- 
ible length, they become so attenuated as to be scarcely dis- 
cernible in the water ; but these fine, delicate cords or fila- 
ments, hardly discoverable by the unassisted vision, may be 
considered the ropes or tackling of its machinery for collect- 
ing the material which it needs for its sheath-like dwelling. 
Suppose a grain of sand, for instance, is lying at some dis- 
tance from the animal : by some sense it perceives it, deter- 
mines to appropriate it, and immediately sends forth one of 
its long, slender threads — over it or to it, for the extreme 
points are so fine as to be distinguished with difficulty, but 
the grain is reached. "Watch it closely now ! See ! the bit 
of sand begins to move gradually along and upward, gliding 
upon the surface of this serviceable, rope-like filament. Ob- 
serve, it is not grasped pincer-like with the end of the fila- 
ment, but rides upward on the thread, like that mysterious 
little wheel which thousands of our citizens see daily, creep- 



HOUSE-BUILDERS OF THE SEA. 41 

ing up and over the wire which is one day to be a strand in 
the great cable of the East Eiver Bridge. What the pro- 
pelling or attracting force is, which causes the grain of sand 
to rise np against the laws of gravity and approach the month 
of this annelid, I have not yet been able to discover ; but 
in all probability there is a system of muscular contractile 
organs in this fine filament, which a sufficiently strong mag- 
nifying-lens may yet bring to observation and recognition. 
Be that as it may, we will in the mean time watch for what 
we can see of this process, and we find that when the object 
has reached the end of the filament it is placed for a moment 
in the mouth, where it is evidently coated with a glutinous 
mucus and is then passed out again, and finally deposited 
upon the edge of its walls. The true level is kept, one side 
being built up at exactly the same rate as the other, so that 
no excrescences are left on the edge, but when finished all 
is of a uniform and even surface. The general appearance 
of the animal when at work forcibly reminds one of an im- 
mense derrick, full-rigged and in vigorous operation. 

Nereis. — This is another member of the annelid family, 
but I cannot indorse it, either for good looks or excellence 
of behavior. Indeed, I hardly know of one redeeming 
quality to which it may lay claim. Possibly, however, it 
may possess some hidden virtue, which may yet redeem its 
character, and give it a higher place in my affections. Speci- 
mens of Nereis are found in nearly every group of serpulse, 
generally hidden away among their closely-twisted tubes or 
in holes under stones, as if aware that it was not a favorite, 
and need not be on dress-parade. It appears to live upon the 
organic matter mixed in the mud and sand, for of these sub- 
stances it consumes large quantities. But, though in the day- 
time limiting itself to this unsavory diet, at night it puts on 
another character. After dark it emerges from its conceal- 
ment, swimming freely about, prowling and foraging among 
the delicate young fronds of algse, and making sad havoc 



42 THE OCEAN. 

with its forceps-like jaws, cutting right and left like a pair 
of sharp, heavy shears, inexorable as those of Atropos. 

Still another little house-builder is often found amid the 
tubes of the serpulse, which indeed seem a sort of rallying- 
point, or chieftain's house, for the whole clan of the annelids. 
This latter variety is more simple in its organization, and ap- 
pears to have much less machinery at its command ; but it is 
equally as industrious as the best provided, though it has but 
two hair-like arms. 

MOLLTJSCA AND CKTTSTACEA. 

Among the mollusca there is one very pretty little shell- 
fish which is found quite frequently at "Wood's Hole, Mas- 
sachusetts, and which was brought to me by the well-known 
and enthusiastic collector, Mr. A. "W. Eoberts. This has 
afforded me many hours of entertainment from its curious 
and intelligent proceedings. It is the Anachis similis, de- 
scribed by Prof. Yerrill in his valuable work on the mollusks 
of the New England coast, published by the United States 
Government in 1871-72. The shell has ten whorls flattened ; 
the colors are exceedingly variable, ranging from reddish- 
brown to chestnut, a light-yellowish brown, more or less 
mottled and speckled with white of a dullish hue ; a band of 
white encircles the last whorl. 

This apparently insignificant mollusk deserves more than 
a passing notice, and will well recompense the close observer 
of its habits ; for, besides intelligence, it evidently has affec- 
tions, which it proves by its love of society. In its internal 
structure there appears to be a small cordage-factory, for it 
carries about with it a life-saving apparatus, which it has it- 
self woven, in the shape of a fine silken cord. Should it be 
placed, or accidentally find itself, upon a piece of rock too 
high to slip off without injury, it unreels its silken cord and 
carefully lets itself down, instead of tumbling off at the risk 
of breaking its shell, as some of the more clumsy mollusks 



HOUSE-BUILDERS OF THE SEA. 43 

would do. When it wishes to ascend, it raises itself by the 
same apparatus, reefing in as it rises, like a sailor hauling in 
a rope. 

It is also gregarious. Having had a number of speci- 
mens for years, I have scarcely ever observed one alone ; and 
having many times separated them by placing them at op- 
posite sides of the tank, I was certain in the course of a few 
hours to find them all together again, feeding or quiescent. 
A very peculiar trait with them is, that they are ready and 
willing at all times to be taken from the tank and handled ; 
at least they show in no way any repugnance to this treat- 
ment. This is as rare as it is an agreeable feature ; for marine 
animals are mostly very shy and sensitive to the touch of 
human hands. They appear also to be perfectly harmless, 
molesting none of their neighbors, simply enjoying their own 
life in a harmless and pleasant way, forming quite a con- 
trast to the little prowling Nereis. 

The Anachis lays its eggs in a mass, carefully covering 
them over with a clear, gelatinous secretion of a perfectly 
transparent and glass-like nature, which has the quality of 
thoroughly protecting them from the many voracious mouths 
that constantly surround them in their native habitat. 

The Lunatia heros or JVatiea he?vs, as it is sometimes 
called, is another mollusk of very interesting habits. It may 
be found upon the sand-flats at low tide off Coney Island — 
indeed, upon almost any sandy shore from Maine to Florida, 
preferring those localities most thoroughly and freely ex- 
posed to the full force of the ocean-waves; their wildest 
fury has no terrors for it. Burrowing down a short distance 
in the sand, its power of suction is so great that the Atlantic 
billows pour over it in vain. If the heros goes, it is because 
the shifting sand goes with it, not because it is forced from 
it. It is not easily removed from its position by the hand, if 
its power of suction is applied to its fullest extent. It ap- 
pears to find its food also in the sand, whatever its prey may 



44 THE OCEAN. 

be. When its soft, fleshy parts are fully expanded, it almost 
entirely covers its shell. Its foot or operculum is quite broad 
and large, and deeply concave, which of course gives it its 
great adhesive power. 

This creature's manner of arranging for the protection of 
its eggs is exceedingly ingenious and interesting ; no finished 
artisan could exceed the accuracy or quality of its work. 
The eggs are usually deposited in the pools left by the re- 
treating tides upon the sandy flats, and a cursory observer 
would never suspect what they were or whence they came. 
They are laid in a broad, ribbon-like shape, arranged in a 
circle and mixed with sand, so that they look more like a 
tiny wash-bowl with the bottom out than anything else ; and 
this combination of eggs and sand is finished off into a glassy 
smoothness. Should you hold this curious ribbon up to the 
light, you would see plainly and distinctly about a thousand 
eggs, for nearly every nest contains at least that number. 

Our hutcher mollusk is commonly known as " the drill ; " 
its scientific name is Urosaljpinx cinerea. It has a small, 
roughly-carved shell, and is often found upon the shores in 
the vicinity of New York, and also upon the coast of Massa- 
chusetts. They are not so numerous as some other varieties, 
but quite plentiful enough to make the localities they in- 
habit rather unhealthy for the oysters and other bivalves 
upon which they freely exercise their professional skill. It 
bores or drills a small neat hole through the hardest enameled 
shell, making an orifice as round and perfect as if executed 
by the modern diamond - drill. This preliminary accom- 
plished, it sucks the unfortunate victim's substance away, 
leaving the empty shell upon the shore, with this profession- 
al death-mark upon it. 

Purpura lapillus, famous for having anciently yielded a 
royal die, abounds on the shores of Massachusetts, but is not 
found much if at all south of that latitude, on this side of 
the Atlantic. Its most striking peculiarity is its mode of 



HOUSE-BUILDERS OF THE SEA. 45 

nidification. It lays its eggs in little goblet-shaped capsules, 
and seals the top of each with a perfectly-fitting cover, which 
the washing and beating of ocean-waves for several weeks 
fail to loosen or disturb. At the end of about three months 
this lid is at last unlocked, the cover lifted, and from each 
capsule tumble out five or six young baby shell-fish to take 
their chances in the great ocean of life ; but, young and inex- 
perienced as they are, they understand at once that to live 
they must eat, and may be seen immediately after they are 
freed clinging to the rocks and eating the sea-weed. Their 
soft, white, shelly covering is at first no larger than a pin's- 
head ; but this shell very soon acquires a stony hardness, and 
reproduces the colors of its progenitors. 

I would here call the reader's attention to the little door 
or operculum of some of these univalve shells, as it is not 
generally understood that this little calcareous object, which 
is attached to the animal, and serves to close up the orifice 
of the shell after it has retreated, is the eye-stone of com- 
merce, such as the druggists sell, which is perhaps as pre- 
cious to man as to the little animal ; at least, if you were suf- 
fering with a miserable cinder or the like in your eye, you 
would promptly confess it. But for this wise and beautiful 
provision of a door of stony hardness, the little helpless mol- 
lusk would be destroyed by the thousands of hungry mouths 
that surround him in his ocean-home. This operculum or 
" eye-stone " is convex on one side and flat on the other, and, 
when drawn in by the animal, shuts the opening of its shell 
like a valve, perfectly air and water tight, varying in size 
from a pin's-head to three inches in diameter. (We do not, 
however, use the largest size for eye-stones.) The colors of 
some are very rich, and these have been used quite exten- 
sively for articles of jewelry, such as sleeve-buttons ; mounted 
in fine gold, they make a very pretty article. If you place 
one of these stones in a saucer containing some weak acid, it 
will move around like a living animal. This is caused by 



46 



THE OCEAN. 



the evolution of carbonic-acid gas, contained in the carbonate 
of lime of which the stone is composed. Loaves of bread 
are said to move sometimes in the oven from the same cause. 
Undoubtedly the eye-stone will often remove dust or any 
foreign substance ; if introduced under the lid of the eye, the 
stone is shifted about by the motion of the muscles, and any 
little particle it touches will adhere to it, and be brought out 
with it. 

The Peoten irradians, the " St. James's shell," best 
known as the common Scallop, is almost as familiar a sight 
in our markets as the oyster ; but, though chiefly regarded 
for its edible qualities, its interesting habits form its princi- 
pal attraction to the zoological connoisseur. Its history is 
unique — its fame wide as Christendom. Being very plenti- 
ful on the shores of Palestine, it became customary for all 
European pilgrims, on their return, to attach a scallop-shell 
to their dress to prove that they had really been to the Holy 
Land. So thoroughly was it identified with Christian knight- 
hood and saintship, that it became the insignia not only of 

the great apostle whose char- 
acteristics the monks changed 
from fisherman to warrior, but 
the recognized badge of sev- 
eral of the half -saintly, half- 
chivalrous orders of knights 
which arose and flourished in 
the middle ages. 

But, not to dwell on its 
illustrious associations, or 
even on the intrinsic beauty 
of the shell itself, we will 
bestow our attention upon 
the inhabitant, which, if it 
prided itself on its ancestry, might certainly boast, over all 
the mollusks, of its sang azure. All shell-fish have over their 




Scallop (Pecten irradians). 



HOUSE-BUILDERS OF THE SEA. 47 

bodies and beneath their shells a flexible tissue known as 
their "mantle;" it is, indeed, from the secretions of this 
mantle, of many folds, that the shelly carapace is originally 
formed. In the case of the scallop a portion of this mantle 
can usually be seen, showing a finely-fringed curtain of scar- 
let or orange, the mantle itself being of a delicate fawn- 
color, the whole set off with a number of bright, glistening 
eyes, of an elegant emerald-green, encircled with a band of 
turquoise-blue. The finest jewels of our fairest belles can 
be no brighter than the natural adornments of this common 
mollusk. In their native element alone the scallops show to 
perfection all the beauties Nature has lavished upon them, 
especially when seen in motion. They move in a rapid zig- 
zag fashion, and with the speed of an arrow, the propelling 
force being secured by the rapid opening and shutting of 
their valves. One can scarcely see a lovelier sight than that of 
a large number of these pretty creatures, with shells of every 
hue, from purest white to black, enlivened with shades of 
pink, yellow, fawn, and other tints, darting about in. the clear 
water, up, down, here, there, everywhere. In their flight- 
like movements, vertical, horizontal, east, west, north, and 
south, they are more 
suggestive of a flock 
of winged animals 
than of bivalves of 
which to make a 
meal. When at last 
they dispose them- 
selves to rest, sink- 
ing to the bottom 
for that purpose and there remaining passive for hours at a 
time, they will in the aquarium, if not properly managed, 
come to anchor by tying themselves with their byssus to the 
rocks ; and, if that occurs, they will entertain us no more 
with their lively and amusing habits. 




The Dancing Scallops. 



48 



THE OCEAN 




Decorating Crab, or Ska-Spider. 



HOUSE-BUILDERS OF THE SEA. 



49 



The Sea-Spider, or Decorating Crab {Libinia canalicu- 
lata). — Of all the crab tribe, this is surely tlie most fantastic 
little fellow, and ought to be considered the " missing link " 
which unites the animal creation to the human, for he has 
certainly one of the first instincts of civilization, namely, 
that of attempting to cover himself with extraneous and 
ornamental garments. He is the dandy of the sea. Bits of 
sea-weed are his great reliance, but small objects of almost 
any kind he will appropriate, even to pieces of stone or wood. 
One of mine showed considerable taste and an idea of style, 
preferring always the most gaudy colors which he could find 
in the. tank. These animals will spend hours every day at 
their toilet, appropriating with their hand-like claws bits of 
sea-weed, Sertularia, sponge, or Tvbularia. One will per- 
haps place a bit on the tip of his nose, or suspend from it a 
long, ribbon-like strip of red or green algse, or affix similar 
fragments to his legs, 

elbows, or knees, as £ f /j^ 

we may call them. 
He does not appear 
to take these pieces at 
random, but has the 
air of selecting them 
with care, and then 
leisurely cutting them 
off from the large 
fronds with his own 
nippers, of which he 
has two pairs, one 
upon each of his two 
foremost arms. Hav- 
ing severed the de- 
sired portion, he takes it up in one of his hands (for his nip- 
pers serve for hands as well as shears), and, placing one end 
of it to his mouth, evidently deposits upon it a species of 




Tite Decoeatok. 



50 



THE OCEAN. 



mucus or marine cement, which secures the object in the 
position in which his lordship sees fit to arrange it, and in 
which matter he is somewhat fastidious. This mucus must 
have great strength, for in his native element he will walk 
about thus arrayed, without any danger of his ornaments be- 
ing washed away even by the rolling surf. In the tank, 
when his toilet is completed, he will advance to the front or 
most conspicuous spot he can find, and as near to the specta- 
tor as he can conveniently get, with a self -satisfied ah*, as much 
as to say : " I'm in full dress now ; how do you like my 
style ? " I have also had some of these " decorators " who 
showed a sort of paternal affection for the young actiniae, 

each seeming to take 
a particular pride in 
placing them, some- 
times five or six at 
once, upon his back, 
among the bits of algse 
already there, and then 
parading round as if 
bound to give his pets 
a free ride. 

At certain periods, 
like all crustaceans, 
this spider - crab be- 
comes too large for 
its shelly covering, 
and is obliged to move 
out, or rather its house is moved away from it. This is 
effected by a rupture of the tissue connecting the upper and 
lower carapace, near the hinder part. The body is first 
slipped out through this opening, then Mr. Crab slowly draws 
out his arms, one after the other, just as a man would with- 
draw his from his coat, and so proceeds until the ten arms 
are all freed. Its old habitation is left perhaps on a rock, 




Shedding, oe Empty Shell of Spidee-Ceab. 



HOUSE-BUILDERS OF THE SEA. 51 

or hanging to a sea-weed, and the most practised eye might 
be deceived and take it for a living crab. So perfect and un- 
injured is the abandoned skeleton, that even the delicate cov- 
erings of the eyes and antennas are all there, standing erect 
and staring at you like a ghost. Although I have witnessed 
this interesting operation probably hundreds of times, I was 
completely deceived by a specimen in my tank only a week 
ago. Mrs. Damon calling my attention to a new sea-spider, 
I saw him hanging in a frond of Solaria, looking boldly out 
of the tank at us ; and I supposed for some time that some 
kind friend had contributed another of these crabs to my 
already overstocked tanks. But soon the mystery was ex- 



Ceab eating a Clam. 

plained, for just below I espied the familiar face of my old 
sea-spider in his new and undoubtedly more comfortable 
suit, for now he was at least one-third larger than before the 
shedding. He is very shy now, and most unobtrusive and 
polite ; for his new shell is yet very soft and tender, and he 
has all he can attend to in preventing the other animals from 
eating him up, house and all. Just after the moulting, these 
creatures usually half bury themselves under some rock or 
weed, until the new shell is hard enough to inspire them 
with courage and confidence. 

Our common lobster, Homarus Americanus, has the 



52 



THE OCEAN. 



same habit. So also have the common blue or edible crabs, 
which, in the transition-stage, are sold in the market as " soft- 
shell crabs," and are by many supposed to be a distinct spe- 
cies. The fishermen recognize the fact of their identity by 




American Lobstee (Uomarus Americantis). 



the name they give them, " shedders." I cannot say posi- 
tively how often this moulting takes place, but during the 
earlier portion of the crab's existence it is probably not less 
than four times a year. 

For scavengers we have quite a variety both among the 
Crustacea and the mollusca. The crabs perform the coarser 
or more arduous duties, and the buccina give the finishing 
touches, sweeping up the finer fragments that would other- 
wise be left to decay. These animals are almost indispensable 
to the healthful condition of sea- water in the aquarium ; at 
least they are invaluable in preserving its purity. They are 
mostly carnivorous, living almost wholly upon dead animal 
matter. (I have known them to " mow " off conf ervse from 
the sides of tanks; but, fortunately, my tanks are not troub- 



HOUSE-BUILDERS OF THE SEA. 



53 



led with that annoying growth.) Cast a dead fish or crab in 
their path, and it will be entirely disposed of in a few hours. 
We are here tempted to ask if an army of bnccina would 
not be a valuable acquisition for our Street Commissioners ; 
but think what the poor things would have to eat ! Of all 




Edible Ceab (Callinectes 



the shell-fish our coast supplies, I believe this is furnished in 
greatest abundance. One can hardly walk a yard upon any 
part of our sea-shore without treading upon them ; every 
creek in the adjoining meadows as well swarms with them. 




Common Whelk of Geeat Britain (Buccinum undatum). 

I have seen them at Unionville, Long Island, at low tide, by 
the million, or in heaps by the bushel, if you prefer them by 
measure. They deposit their eggs mostly upon the plants 
near the sea-shore, in little capsules, semi-transparent, and 
securely fixed to whatever object they adhere to. 



54 



THE OCEAN. 



As a representative of the learned professions among our 
marine curiosities, we have a surgeon, commonly called the 
"doctor-fish" (AcantTmrus), from the fact of its having a 
lancet-shaped weapon situated in a longitudinal groove upon 
each side near its tail ; and it has both the skill and power 
to use it most effectually when occasion requires. A more 
complete description of this remarkable fish will be given in 
the next chapter. 





Periwinkle.— 1. Littorina littorea; 2. L. rudis. 



CHAPTEE Y. 

REMARKABLE FISHES AND CRABS OF BERMUDA. 

"We need not leave the shores of the United States to 
find either beautiful fishes, Crustacea, or other marine curi- 
osities. Yet here on this beautiful little island, 1 situated in 
the middle of the Atlantic, eight hundred miles from any- 
other land, it is natural to presume that we shall see novelties 
not easily attained in our own country. Nor are we disap- 
pointed. The very first morning after our arrival, between 
four and five o'clock, we become conscious of some slight 
local excitement, and find on making observation from the 
veranda of our hotel, the Royal Yictoria, that this slight 
ripple upon the usual repose of semi-tropical life is caused 
by the arrival of the fishing-boats, which have just come in, 
and toward which the early customers are proceeding, to 
make their purchases. 

These people, mostly colored, are of themselves a sufficient 
novelty to attract the attention of a stranger, as they come 
along chattering and singing with that nonchalance, and evi- 
dent absence of care, so different from the anxious and busy 
look which the American almost always bears about with 
him. They will not easily pass from our remembrance. 

But there is doubtless something in those boats which 
will interest me more than even these odd specimens of hu- 
manity ; so I hurry along with the gathering citizens of vari- 

1 These observations were made during a residence at Hamilton Harbor, the 
largest port of the Bermuda Isles. 
4 



56 THE OCEAN. 

ous shades, from Caucasian to African, and proceed to in- 
spect what is being offered for sale. For these fishermen are 
also the retail dealers, and sell their cargoes as quickly as 
they can directly from the boats. Here there is no anxiety 
as to " whether the fish are fresh," for, besides their being 
so recently caught, each boat is provided with a deep well or 
permanent tank into which " the catch " is thrown and there 
kept alive until sold. On this occasion there were about 
twenty of these boats. Several of them were loaded with 
brilliantly-colored beauties, which it seemed a shame to sell 
by the pound, to be eaten. 

One of the most common varieties for market-use is the 
large-mouthed grouper, Serranus striatus, marked with white 
and black spots, changing to a brown or pale white with al- 
most incredible rapidity while one is gazing upon it. 

In a letter which I received from the late much-loved 
and highly-esteemed Prof. Louis Agassiz, in relation to the 
fishes of Bermuda, some of which I am about to describe, he 
says : 

" This collection is highly interesting in a scientific point of 
view, as it shows the ichthyology of Bermuda to agree com- 
pletely with that of the Gulf of Mexico, and not at all with 
that of the Middle States or of Europe." 

The angel-fish, Holoeeanthus ciliaris, is another variety 
largely used for the table ; and this, too, appeared like a 
desecration in my eyes. When alive their bright colors vie 
with, if they do not exceed, .the most brilliant plumage of 
the Brazilian humming-bird ; the rainbow's tints are pale in 
comparison. They seem to me to have more expression in 
their countenances than any other fish. I always fancy as 
they swim toward me that there is almost a smile / there 
certainly is an amiable air, corresponding with their name. 
They have a somewhat lazy, slow, and careful style of swim- 
ming, with their long, ciliated fins trailing after them, as they 



REMARKABLE FISHES AND CRABS OF BERMUDA. 57 

glide in and out among the coral-branches with perfect ease 
and grace, often reminding one of* some of the graceful 
feathered tribe — if we could imagine the latter swimming 
without draggling their plumage. 

The angel-fish is of a broad oval shape, and remarkable 
for its crescented caudal extremity ; its forehead is very high, 
but its human look as it approaches one is to me its greatest 
attraction. The scales are very strongly defined, and are 
laid in with mathematical precision, reaching high up on the 
dorsal fin, their size gradually decreasing until individuality 
is lost in the extreme fineness to which they are reduced. A 
band of deep velvety blue adorns the high forehead, extend- 
ing backward and along the dorsal fin, gradually emerging 
into a rich golden-yellow tint on the caudal. But what an 
exquisite blue ! Did any one ever see just such a shade ? 
It is unequaled in silk or satin, and many a young lady would 
be happy indeed could our beautiful " angel " impart its 
secret, and tell us how to imitate its unrivaled blue. One 
of these beauties I have seen with a crescent-shaped black 
marking across its body, and with the same rich blue color- 
ing on the tips of its operculum or gill-covers. 

To see these lovely creatures laid out for sale on the mar- 
ket-stands seems almost wicked. But the Bermudians have 
no conscientious or scientific scruples, and fry them with as 
little compunction as a New-Yorker would an eel. I have 
brought many of them alive to the United States, swimming 
in pure sea-water, and have by most constant and careful at- 
tention succeeded in keeping some of them for nearly a year. 
In the winter, when the temperature was low, I found it 
necessary to protect " my angels " from the cold ; and not 
venturing to tamper with the water, I adopted the expedient 
of wrapping the tank with woolen blankets, thus keeping 
in the natural heat, and graduating the temperature as near- 
ly as possible to that of the Bermudian waters. These fish, 
though too handsome, in our opinion, to be eaten, are not 



58 



THE OCEAN. 



themselves too good to eat others ; their preferred morsels 
are mollusks and Crustacea. 

Sarothrodus bimaculatus — called by the various names 
of " the bride," " peacock-fish," and " four-eyed fish " — is 
another perfect little gem ; and at the first glance one is for- 
cibly reminded of some bright piece of jewelry. In form it 
is nearly oval, flattish, with its mouth elongated into a sort 
of tube-like projection. It has the reputation (like the chse- 
todons of tropical waters, the chelmons of the Asiatic seas, 




Ch^etodon Eostratus. 



and the archer-fish of Japan) of shooting flies or other insects 
which it may perceive on the rocks, or on the plants near the 
shore, above the surface of the water, by forcibly ejecting a 
well-aimed drop of water at the intended victim. This in- 
teresting performance I have never had the pleasure of wit- 
nessing, except as illustrated, on paper. The coloring and 
marking of this fish are also very ornamental. Its body is a 
grayish pearl, with a band of jet-black crossing the forehead, 
and running directly through the eyes ; another similar band 



REMARKABLE FISHES AND CRABS OF BERMUDA. 59 

a quarter of an inch in width crosses the caudal fin in a circu- 
lar direction. Did the description stop here, we might say 
that it was dressed in " half -mourning ; " but an ornamental 
design which it bears upon the hinder portion of the body 
precludes the " mournful " theory. These peculiar markings 
consist of two brilliant round spots, about the same size as, 
and beariug a perfect resemblance to, the eyes of a pea- 
cock's tail-feather. From these and its proper true eyes 
this little fish has acquired the name of the four-eyed. Its 
style of swimming is in direct contrast with that of the 
angel-fish, for it dashes about swiftly and nervously through 
the water. 

Holocentum longijpenne, or the " squirrel- fish," probably 
obtained its name from its habits, which are as closely imita- 
tive of the squirrel as those of a marine animal can well be. 
He is not seen swimming about as a fish ought to do, but 
hides himself in holes or crevices of the coral-banks. Look- 
ing over the edge of the boat, as we sail over the abounding 
coral-groups, one may almost always observe at some point, 
often at many, two big black eyes staring out of the nooks 
and crannies in the rocks. If it is your first experience you 
naturally look again, and wonder what the eyes belong to, for 
that is all you see. You conclude, of course, that it is some 
sort of fish, and the next thought is to draw this " hide-and- 
seek " fellow out of his hole. So you bait a hook with some 
tempting morsel, and throw out your line. How he rushes ! 
with lightning-speed he has darted out of his hole and seized 
the bait. Had you time to think, you would be sure you 
had him ; but quicker if possible than he dashed out does he 
drive back again, carrying hook and line with him, twisting 
and fouling the latter around and between the coral-branches, 
or some projecting peak, so that you may as well say " good- 
by " to hook, line, and squirrel together. The color of this 
brisk little fellow is of a bright, shiny red, and it has large, 
beautifully-serrated scales. Its dorsal fin is immense in pro- 



60 THE OCEAN. 

portion to the size of the body. Its gill-covers are armed 
with long, sharp, dangerous spines. 

On account of this habit of the squirrel-fish, of making 
for his hole the instant that he feels the hook, and the diffi- 
culty of managing a line among the projecting coral-branches, 
the natives never attempt to take this or other fish in that 
way. All they take are caught in traps, very simply con- 
structed, but quite effective. They construct a sort of crate 
or basket out of. strips of wood, of irregular and ingenious 
shape, but usually broader than high, and holding from one 
to two bushels. Having put in their bait — -meat, stale fish, 
crabs, lobsters, mussels, almost anything — they securely at- 
tach to it a long and strong rope, and proceed with it in a 
boat to some good fishing-ground, generally near some reef 
at a distance from the land. Dropping the trap overboard, 
they let it sink to the bottom, not forgetting to secure the 
free end of the rope to a buoy to indicate its position. 
Usually several of these traps are deposited at each trip, at 
different points. They are allowed to remain for about 
twenty hours, when the fishermen visit them, haul the traps 
aboard, cursorily examine the contents, and, if nothing very 
dangerous is seen, open a little door in the trap and turn out 
all these mixed-up victims, which have been unfortunate 
enough to find themselves hopelessly ensnared. The bait is 
then renewed, and overboard goes the basket again, ready for 
another day's work. 

It is always interesting, sometimes amusing, to witness 
the operation of emptying the traps, for occasionally they 
catch a very ugly customer. An octopus or " devil-fish " is 
sometimes found secreted in one of these traps — a very dis- 
agreeable and, when of large size, dangerous animal to deal 
with. For the present we will throw him overboard again, 
but will take an opportunity hereafter to describe and illus- 
trate him more particularly. 

But there is one snake-like creature, the green maray, 



REMARKABLE FISHES AND CRABS OF BERMUDA. 61 

with his relative the spotted maray, which creates much more 
consternation among the occupants of the boat than even the 
discovery of a " devil-fish " among the contents of the trap. 
These are not infrequently found in the Bermudian waters ; 
they have a wicked, snaky eye, and are very dangerous. 
Should one of these creatures come tumbling out of the trap, 
out would go the negroes over the other side of the boat into 
the sea ! Indeed, all the natives have a wholesome fear of 
this creature, and put themselves at a respectful distance 
from it with what speed they may. These fish vary in 
length from three to ten feet, are armed with crooked teeth 
like the anaconda, and have a pointed nose and a large, 
fleshy dorsal fin running nearly their whole length. Their 
predominant color is a rich olive-green. When an animal 
which inspires dread is really ten feet in length, imagination 
readily adds to its true measurement. May not this maray 
be the original foundation for the "veritable sea-serpent," 
which varies so continually in size and appearance 1 Or are 
these the degenerate and diminutive descendants of that 
rarely-seen and never-captured tyrant of the ocean ? 

Hon. C. M. Allen, United States consul here, has a fish- 
pond and fountain, which is supplied with pure sea-water 
by means of the tide flowing in and out ; and by a very 
ingenious mechanical arrangement, invented by himself, the 
water is thrown some thirty feet high into the air. This 
fountain will act about twenty-three hours out of the twenty- 
four. Mr. Allen has just informed me that he has in his 
pond some very fine specimens of the maray, and that they 
exhibit an incredible amount of strength in their teeth, by 
biting and pulling out the stones from the walls of the 
pond. 

The waters of Bermuda are so prolific in strange and 
wonderful fishes, that we with difficulty make our selection 
between the many we must omit to mention and the few we 
have space to describe. There is one which should, I think, 



62 THE OCEAN. 

be called the " knight in armor," but which has had fastened 
upon it the utterly prosaic name of the " cow-fish" — Ostra- 
cion sexcornutus. This fish is covered with a perfect coat 
of shelly armor, excepting only two round holes for its eyes, 
and sufficient apertures for its fins to pass through ; and thus 
rigged, it is invulnerable with the exception of its steering 




Vale's Teunk-Fish (Ostracion Yalei). 

apparatus and its eyes. In shape it is also a curiosity, being 
formed like a three-sided trunk (hence also called trunk-fish), 
and when swimming with its flat side downward, its back 
somewhat resembles the sloping roof of a tiled house. It 
has two horn-like projections on its head, which suggest 
some resemblance to those of a cow ; hence its name. 

In addition to its singular armature this fish has an ex- 
traordinary power of change as to color, changing from black 
to blue, or to white and green, in a few minutes. Indeed, 
the transformation is so rapid that it appears magical, and 
one feels almost compelled to believe that he is looking at 
different specimens, which have been mysteriously substituted 
for the original. The intelligence of the creature appears to 
be very limited, much inferior to that of most fishes ; indeed, 
I think it may even be called stupid without doing it any 
great injustice. At least, it has not sense enough to get out 
of the way of an ordinary row-boat in open sea. It may be, 
however, that its armor-like covering is such a protection 
from ordinary dangers as to give it a degree of confidence 
which less well-provided fishes cannot feel ; and with boats 
and men they are not supposed to be sufficiently acquainted 



REMARKABLE FISHES AND CRABS OF BERMUDA. 63 

to appreciate the danger which threatens all the lower orders 
wherever these appear on the scene. 

To illustrate this lack of intelligence, I will relate my 
experience in capturing my first prize. But it may be well 
here first to explain that the extraordinary clearness and 
purity of the waters among these coral islands is such that ob- 
jects may be clearly discerned at a depth of twenty fathoms 
— a fact which adds intensely to the pleasure of sailing upon 
them ; for, whether a naturalist or not, one cannot fail to be 
charmed at the variegated views of coral caves, branching 
tree-like forms, richly-colored algse, shells, and the vast va- 
riety and beauty of the marine creatures, fishes and others, 
which are to be seen gliding about in these submarine 
bowers. As I was one day seated on the bow of our boat, I 
saw a very fine specimen ahead, which naturally excited the 
attempt to capture it : and this proved a very easy task ; for 
I actually drove it along by means of an oar toward the 
sandy shore, until it became stranded in the shallow wa- 
ter, where it was immediately secured with my hands, 
alive and in perfect condition. Possibly this docile dispo- 
sition may have served to aid in fixing its common name 
upon it. 

The parrot-fish is another of those noted for its " good 
looks." Its scientific name is Scarus lurchesius. Vaulting 
from the farm-yard to the Brazilian groves in search of a 
name, our naturalists have not greatly erred in selecting that 
of parrot for this animal, for there is certainly a most strik- 
ing resemblance in the head of this fish to both beak and 
head of our common parrot ; its colors, too, measurably cor- 
respond to those of one of the best-known species of parrots, 
it being of a bluish-green tinge. This fish does not grow to 
any considerable size, nor is it esteemed for the table. Neither 
does it thrive in confinement. I have never succeeded in 
keeping one over three months, and can now only revive my 
memory of its beauties by regarding the skeleton form of 



64 THE OCEAN. 

one which I have preserved among many other Bermudian 
curiosities. 

Cancer cranium morta, or the "grave-digger crab," is 
one of those singular creatures whose home may be said to 
be the sea, but which yet spend much of their time on the 
land. Its habits differ from those of many of its crustacean 
relations, particularly in its nocturnal perambulations. In 
the daytime it lies concealed in holes which it digs in the 
earth, formed something like a wild rabbit's burrow. It is 
useless to seek this species in the daytime ; the only oppor- 
tunities for capturing them occur at night, and the manner 
of doing so is rather a novel method of warfare. 

Suppose our party formed and ready for the expedition, 
at about twelve o'clock on a bright moonlight night. "We 
start from Hamilton Harbor in a small boat, and row across 
the bay-like indentation of the shore a distance of about three 
miles, where we land, haul our boat high up on the beach, 
and proceed on foot over a neck of land a mile or so, until 
we reach the " North Shore." Here, on the flat lands, we 
shall find our "hunting-ground." Now the order is given 
to " halt ! " and each one is requested to keep perfectly still, 
as that is our only chance for catching sight of our game ; 
for any unusual noise would quickly alarm them, and cause 
them to retreat to their burrows. A few moments of hushed 
silence. " Listen ! " Here they surely are, marching about 
as bold as lions, yet cowardly at heart as hares — unless cor- 
nered, with no chance of escape, when they will make a des- 
perate show of fight, and will even advance upon their pur- 
suers with their large fore-claws uplifted in very valorous 
fashion. What do you suppose is our implement of attack ? 
You will never guess. It is a blanket ! One of us takes 
this, and places himself before the hole which the crab in- 
habits. When, alarmed by the others of the party, the crab 
makes for his retreat, we deftly throw the blanket over him, 
rolling him up, and taking good care that he does not get a 



REMARKABLE FISHES AND CRABS OF BERMUDA. 65 

claw free and a chance to grip our hands or arms. When 
quite secure, we throw him into a large bag prepared for the 
purpose, thus literally " bagging " our strange game. Hav- 
ing in this way seized all we care to capture, we return to 
our boat, and turn the bow homeward, after one of the most 
odd and exciting adventures which this island affords. 

These nocturnal crabs have gained for themselves, among 
the natives at least, the reputation of digging into graves ; 
but I scarcely believe so badly of them as that legend would 
imply. One reason for my disbelief is that they would have 
to dig too deep, and another that there is no necessity ; they 
can find food enough without taking so much trouble. How- 
ever, in their foraging expeditions at night they do make 
away with vast quantities of dead animal matter, fish, or any- 
thing else. In this they are probably performing a benefi- 
cial work, ridding the land of impurities which the hot sun 
would otherwise unpleasantly develop. 



CHAPTEE VI. 

THE OCTOPUS, OR DEVIL-FISH, AND ITS CONGENERS: 
THEIR HABITS, TRUE CHARACTER, AND MODE OF 
CAPTURE. 



The transition from angel-fish to devil-fish is no greater 
in nomenclature than in fact. The creatures themselves are 
as different in appearance and habits as the contrasting names 
imply; for, without attributing moral qualities to animals 
who simply fulfill the functions which their special organi- 
zations demand, it is 
yet impossible not to 
feel an attraction tow- 
ard the pleasing and 
beautiful, and a certain 
degree of repulsion 
toward the ungainly, 
secretive, and diaboli- 
cal-looking octopus. 

Perhaps no better 
introduction to this 
chapter can be given 
than to recall to the 
minds of our readers 
the terribly vivid description of the devil-fish by that grand 
master of romance, Victor Hugo ; for, though incorrect in 
several scientific details, the general description is the best 
we have had, though Jules Verne's is almost as dramatic and 




Octopus ok Devil-Fish {Octopus 'vulgaris). 



THE OCTOPUS AND ITS CONGENERS. 67 

nearer to Nature. In a Les Travailleurs de la Mer" M. 
Hugo says : 

"To believe in the existence of the devil-fish, one must 
have seen it. Compared to it the ancient hydras were insig- 
nificant. Orpheus, Homer, and Hesiod, imagined only the chi- 
msera — Providence created the octopus. If terror was the 
object of its creation, it is perfection. The devil-fish has no 
muscular organization, no menacing cry, no breastplate, no 
horn, no dart, no tail with which to hold or bruise, no cutting 
fins, or wings with claws, no prickles, no sword, no electric 
discharge, no venom, no talons, no beak (?), no teeth. It has 
no bones, no blood, no flesh. It is soft and flabby, ... a skin 
with nothing inside of it. Its under surface is yellowish ; its 
upper earthy. Its dusty hue can neither be imitated nor ex- 
plained ; it might be called a beast made of ashes which inhab- 
its the water. Irritated, it becomes violet. It is a spider in 
form, a chameleon in coloration. 

" Seized by this animal," he adds, "you enter into the beast; 
the hydra incorporates itself with the man ; the man is amal- 
gamated with the hydra. You become one. The tiger can 
only devour you ; the devil-fish inhales you. He draws you 
to him, into him ; and, bound and helpless, you feel yourself 
slowly emptied into this frightful sac, which is a monster. To 
be eaten alive is more than terrible ; but to be drunk alive is 
inexpressible ! " 

This overwrought but wonderfully dramatic description 
(but a small part of which we have quoted) at once excited 
a popular interest in the habits and history of the octopus, 
though it was well known and described by Aristotle before 
the Christian era. Moreover, the animal so graphically pict- 
ured by the novelist was a mere "baby devil" in comparison 
with many which exist, and which have been described by 
that enthusiastic naturalist, Prof. Verrill, of Yale College. 

In a letter addressed to me on this subject by Prof. Spen- 



Q$ 



THE OCEAN. 




The Giant Sqttid. 



cer F. Baird, under date of April 1, 1878, this distinguished 
naturalist says : 

" The giant squid in the New York Aquarium can only be 
designated as an infant or dwarf in comparison with the gigan- 



THE OCTOPUS AND ITS CONGENERS. 69 

tic species of the Pacific Ocean — those upon which the sperm- 
whale is known to feed. Chunks of squid-remains are not in- 
frequently found in the throat or stomach of the sperm-whale, 
apparently indicating specimens from ten to fifty times the size 
of the Newfoundland variety. I was informed that a consider- 
ably larger specimen than that at New York was cast ashore at 
Newfoundland later in the season. The arms of the latter, if 
I recollect right, were some ten feet longer than those of the 
other." 

The specimen referred to by Prof. Baird as at the public 
aquarium in New York, is of the species known as Architeu- 
this princeps. It measures about forty feet, and is preserved 
in alcohol. I have in' a bottle some specimen portions of 
the sucking-disks, showing the serrated edges, from the arms 
of this terrible animal ; and I have also a perfect specimen 
of a smaller species of the animal itself in my private col- 
lection. 

Prof. Yerrill's reports apply to the devil-fish found in 
our northern seas, and Prof. Baird mentions those cast ashore 
at Newfoundland ; but that they are not limited to the north- 
ern waters is certain. The late Captain Frederick Reimer, 
of New Jersey, a very intelligent observer, who was in Beau- 
fort Harbor, North Carolina, in 1862, described one that he 
saw there which measured fully thirty feet in length. Any 
one who has seen the sj3ecimen captured at Newfoundland 
can readily conceive how such a monster could stretch out 
its two long arms and seize its prey. These arms together 
form a pair of powerful pincers at their extreme ends, and 
are furnished for their whole length with two rows of per- 
fect sucking - disks, or some two thousand air-pumps ; the 
edges are also cut into sharp, saw-like teeth, as hard as steel, 
and these are buried in the flesh of its prey. With all these 
appliances it could easily reach a distance of twenty-five feet, 
and bring the body of a man to its mouth, where, with its 



70 THE OCEAN. 

powerful iron-like beak, it crushes the helpless form, and 
swallows or drinks it down, as Yictor Hugo says. 

My own experience with them has been principally in the 
Bermudas. They are there caught in basket-traps, formed 
of wood, described on page 60. "With a trap baited with 
mussel, crab, or lobster, of which the octopus is particularly 
fond, we row along the island-shore, among the more rocky 
parts, until we discover some indication of his majesty's re- 
treat. Their hiding-places can only be diagnosed by experts, 
but one of the trails by which they are traced is the presence 
of dead shells in unusual quantities, particularly skeletons of 
crabs, which will be pretty certainly seen near the water's 
edge, or at the mouth of the cave inhabited by a " devil." 
The clearness of the waters greatly aids in the search. When 
a promising location is reached, we throw overboard the trap, 
which sinks to the bottom of some ledge, or rests upon a reef 
of coral. A rope, which is attached to it, is secured to a 
buoy to mark its place on the surface of the sea, and it is left 
for twenty-four hours. Then we return and haul it up, and, 
if the place of deposit has been well chosen, we shall soon 
see the long arms of Mr. Devil protruding through the bas- 
ket, searching and stretching in all directions, seeking to 
understand how it is that positions have become so reversed 
— that he is the captured instead of the capturing party. His 
color changes with anger and vexation, and his body then 
displays numerous bunches or tubercles, which always appear 
when the animal anticipates danger. 

The trap being opened, we seize him quickly by what 
we must call the neck, the portion between the head and 
trunk, while his eight arms or legs, as you may choose to call 
them, are struggling and twisting in all directions, sometimes 
becoming attached to our own arms and twining about them. 
Those which I caught and handled personally had arms of 
remarkable softness and suppleness, so that their contact felt 
more like a running liquid upon my flesh than a structural 



THE OCTOPUS AND ITS CONGENERS. 71 

substance ; ' and, indeed, though so formidable under certain 
circumstances, the preponderance of fluidity in their compo- 
sition may be judged from the fact that I myself saw one, 
which measured three feet in length by five or six inches in 
width, squeeze or run itself through a crevice not over half 
an inch in width ! 

I should have mentioned that if it is desired to preserve 
the octopus alive, the pressure on the neck should not be too 
severe, for ' that is their vulnerable point ; and a person at- 
tacked by one should never lose time in striving to loosen its 
arms, but grasp if possible this portion connecting the head 
and body, in which way they may be easily killed. 




An Octopus running. 



In regard to their powers of locomotion upon land, on 
which there has been considerable controversy, I can assure 
the reader that I have seen a full-grown octopus at the Ber- 
mudas spring up out of the water, only a few feet forward 
of the boat I was in, and run up a perpendicular rocky cliff 
for more than two hundred feet ! This ledge of rock bore a 
general resemblance to our Hudson River Palisades at their 
steepest portion. We soon learned the cause of this seem- 
ingly strange performance, when we discovered one of those 
beautiful bright-red crabs, which are native to the locality, 

1 This lack of tension probably resulted from my pressure upon the neck. 



72 



THE OCEAN. 



trying to escape from the clutches of this devil-fish. The 
crab, being frightened almost ont of its simple wits, had run 
up the rocks for safety ; but its tactics proved sure death in 
the end. As to the speed of the octopus, it appeared to me 
to travel much faster than I could run. At least, I should 
not care, if unarmed, to engage in a race with one, unless 
Mr. Devil started a good way ahead. 

In this case I soon came into closer acquaintance with 
our agile friend, for the next morning I had the satisfaction 
of discovering that his lordship had walked into our trap, 
which we had carefully placed near his cave ; and now that 
we could see him face to face, we found that his strength 
was enormous as compared with his moderate size. Being 
placed in a bucket of water, such as is usually found on a 
ship's- deck, he attached his eight arms to the bottom and 
sides, by means of its powerful and perfect- working suction- 
disks, so firmly that I several times lifted the bucket, water 

and all, by taking hold of 
the animal's body, and 
twirled it over my head. 
The more I twirled the 
more firmly it stuck. An 
octopus will not relax its 
hold " on compulsion," any 
more than Falstaff would 
" give reasons." It is as 
self-willed as some human 
animals. 

According to scientific 
classification, the octopus 
belongs to the division of 
soft-bodied Mollusca, and 
the class of Cephalopoda — 
meaning "feet proceeding from the head." Of these the 
octopus, as its name indicates, has eight feet, or arms ; for, 




Peaely Natitiltjs (Nautilus pompilius), 
showing chambers inside of shell. 



THE OCTOPUS AND ITS CONGENERS. 



73 



though, these long appendages are sometimes used as feet, 
they are habitually used as arms. 

Of the octopoda family is the small paper nautilus or 
argonaut. How few of our readers who have admired this 
beautiful shell, with its mother-of-pearl lining, have realized 
that its former inhabitant was own cousin to the horrible 
devil-fish — a female cousin, we must add, for the shell is not 
connected with the animal organically, but is held in position 
by two of the long arms, with the sole purpose of protecting 
the eggs. The male argonaut has no shell. 




Papee NATTTrLTis (Argonauta argo). 



Though all the octopods, large or small, can swim freely 
at will, such is not their habit ; they prefer to lie concealed, 
or j)artially so, on the side or in the clefts of rocks. There 
the octopod's body is protected from the attacks of other 
animals, while it can extend its long feelers in search of 
prey, of which fish, mollusks, and crustaceans, are the princi- 
pal objects. Its movements, when an object of food is per- 
ceived, are marvelously rapid, swifter than the flight of an 
arrow from the bow of an experienced hunter. The long, 
flexible arms grasp the victim ; its hundreds of suckers, act- 



n 



THE OCEAN. 



ing like pneumatic holders, make escape impossible ;. and, as 
the long arms draw the object nearer and nearer, the other 
shorter arms add their multiplied disks, forming " a perfect 
mitrailleuse of inverted air-guns, which take horrid hold, 




ARGONAUT "WITHOUT THE SHELL. 

and the pressure of air is so great that nothing but clos- 
ing the throttle-yalve can produce relaxation." This throt- 
tle-valve is the neck, as we have before described. Those 
lengthy appendages, the limbs, are rather in the way when the 
animal is swimming, and would act as drag-anchors if left 




Argonaut with the Shell. 



pendent ; but the octopus usually draws them close alongside, 
whence they extend in a horizontal position, acting the part 
of a tail to a kite. It propels itself by drawing in and ex- 
pelling water through its locomotory tube. The octopus 



THE OCTOPUS AND ITS CONGENERS. 75 

swims backward, and it has been remarked that it changes 
its color to a darker hue when it starts out for a swim. 

This changing of its hue, apparently at will, is one of the 
most peculiar characteristics of the octopns. It may be con- 
sidered the chameleon of the sea. Its ordinary color when 
in repose is a mottled brown ; but if irritated it assumes a 
reddish hue, approaching to purple. Nature seems to have 
been almost superfluously careful in furnishing this animal 
with protecting elements ; for this coloring-matter, which re- 
sides between the inner and outer skin, enables it even to 
assume the color of the ground or rocks over which it travels, 
so that one can hardly say what color it is before it may have 
changed to something quite different. When exhausted after 
a battle or a struggle to get out of a trap, it turns pale, like 
a human being. 

Some persons besides Yictor Hugo's hero have had a 
chance to test the strength of these devil-fishes. Major New- 
some, R. E., when stationed on the east coast of Africa in 
1856-57, undertook to bathe in a pool of water left by the 
retiring waves. He says : 

" As I swam from one end to the other, I was horrified at 
feeling something around my ankle, and made for the side as 
speedily as I could. I thought at first it was only sea-weed ; 
but as I landed and trod with my foot on the rock, my disgust 
was heightened at feeling a fleshy and slippery substance under 
me. I was, I confess, alarmed ; and so apparently .was the 
beast on which I trod, for he detached himself and made for 
the water. Some fellow-bathers came to my assistance, and he 
was eventually landed. ... As the grasp of an ordinary-sized 
octopus holding to a rock is not less than thirty pounds, while 
the floating power of a man is between five and six pounds, I 
believe if I had not kept in mid-channel it would have been a lif e- 
and-death struggle between myself and the beast on my ankle. 
In the open water I was the best man ; but near the bottom or 
.sides, which he could have reached with his arms, but which I 



76 THE OCEAN. 

could not have reached with mine, he would certainly have 
drowned me." 

The Major was right ; he had every chance of sharing 
the fate of the immortal Chibin. 

When a crustacean casts a limb from its junction with 
the body, it is after a time reproduced ; if injured below this 
point, it has no recuperative power. But our " devil-fish," 
which really seems favored beyond its deserts, will reproduce 
any injured portion of its arms, at whatever point they may 
have been severed ; of the numerous specimens which have 
been scientifically examined, many showed that one, two, or 
more arms have been either repaired or reproduced; and 
some of the female specimens have shown a loss of the 
whole eight arms, but all more or less restored. 

Another kind of exuvise observed with the octopods is 
the outer skin of their long limbs, which they not infrequent- 
ly shed. These cast-off skins float upon the water, and are 
one of the indications which lead to the discovery of their 
retreats. When the outer skin becomes too tight for the 
growing animal, or is worn too smooth by frequent contact 
with the rocks, the creature may be seen rubbing its arms 
against each other as if they were undergoing a scrubbing or 
cleansing process, and soon these thin, filmy skins may be 
seen floating away on the surface of the water. 

At certain periods there appears in the male octopus what 
is called the hectocotylus development in one of the arms. 
When this gentleman would a-wooing go, as Mr. Lee says in 
his valuable little book on this subject, and " he offers his 
hand in marriage to a lady octopus, she accepts it most 
literally, keeps it, and walks away with it / for this singular 
outgrowth is detached from the arm of the suitor, and be- 
comes a separate living creature," specimens of which have 
been preserved in the Museum of Natural History in Paris. 
This hectocotylized arm is afterward reproduced in the male. 



THE OCTOPUS AND ITS CONGENERS. 77 

It is surprising with what care the female watches over 
the development of the eggs. Having selected a snug re- 
treat in the rocks, she will barricade it by dragging to the 
entrance other portions of rock, or perhaps a pile of oysters 
— anything out of which she can make a strong breastwork 
or line of defense ; and then she sits on guard ready to at- 
tack any intruder, even though it be her own mate. The 
eggs when first laid are about the size of grains of rice, and 
are arranged upon a stalk which is attached to the rock by a 
cement secreted by the parent, and to which each egg is sep- 
arately attached, like a mass of bananas on its stalk, only 
much more closely packed, the number being immense ; an 
octopus will produce in one laying from forty to fifty thou- 
sand. Mr. Lee describes one that he had under observation 
in an aquarium, which he says " would pass one of her arms 
beneath the hanging bunches of her eggs, and, dilating the 
membrane on each side of it into a boat-shaped hollow, would 
gather and hold them in, as in a trough or cradle. Then she 
would caress and gently rub them, occasionally turning tow- 
ard them the mouth of her flexible exhalent and. locomotor 
tube, which resembles the nozzle of a hose-pipe, and direct 
upon them a jet of water." The object of the syringing 
process was probably to free the eggs from parasites, or to 
prevent the growth of confervse upon them. At the end of 
five weeks some of the eggs were taken from the nest for 
observation under the microscope, which showed that the 
young octopods were already alive and freely swimming 
within the shell ; and most extraordinary was it to see that 
these immature creatures exhibited the characteristic changes 
of color at that early stage of development, flushing red ap- 
parently with anger when disturbed. The period of incu- 
bation is about fifty days, and during all that time the mother 
octopus brooded her eggs with the tenderest care ; so that 
the observer almost ceased to look upon her in the light of 
a " devil-fish," and recognized that at least the maternal in- 



78 THE OCEAN. 

stinct was not dependent for its development upon external 
beauty. 

When the young octopus emerges from the egg it is 
about the size of a large ilea, but has none of the arms de- 
veloped ; these appear simply as " rudimentary conical ex- 
crescences, having points of hair-like fineness arranged in the 
form of an eight-rayed coronet upon the head." The amiable 
disposition of all female devil-fish is not perhaps equal to 
that of the one described above ; but it is not an unusual 





Sepia officinalis and Shell. 

event for them to die from the effects of exhaustion at the 
end of the long brooding period. This may perhaps partly 
result from insufficient nourishment, as they must evidently 
miss many chances of obtaining food, which others, un- 
burdened with family cares, avail themselves of. 

The nearest relations of the octopus are the cuttle-fish 
and squids. The former, Sepia officinalis, is best known as 
the animal which produces that fine black coloring fluid 
known as sepia-ink, and for its useful sepiostaire or internal 
shell, which is usually hung in the cages of canary-birds. 

Though the cuttle-fish resembles in its general structure 
its relative the octopus, it varies in several particulars. In- 



THE OCTOPUS AND ITS CONGENERS. 79 

stead of eight arms, it lias ten, eight short and two long. 
Some persons have pronounced them " beautiful " — in which 
opinion we cannot .coincide ; but their manners are decidedly 
more genial than those of the octopus. Instead of lurking 
in semi-concealed caves or behind rocks, and springing upon 
the unwary like a tiger from its jungle, the cuttle-fish comes 
out to the light and gives his intended victim a fair chance, 
having more the habits of a bird of prey than its congener 
the devil-fish. It is, however, very voracious, and fishermen 
have often cause to regret its proximity to the fishing-grounds, 
as it will attack fish while entangled in the nets and drag 
them out or bite and mutilate them. When attacked, its 
best defense is the sepia-bag, from which it ejects the black 
fluid, thus discoloring the water and escaping in the ob- 
scurity. 

The eggs of the cuttle-fish are usually found attached to 
a branch of sea-weed and very ingeniously hung by a perfect 
loop, each one separately upon the twig, where together they 
somewhat resemble a bunch of grapes. As soon as the young 
are released, they seek the light and approach the surface 
of the water. The sepia is naturally very shy, and at the 
slightest alarm shoots forth with wonderful rapidity its foe- 
defying ink ; but in captivity its fears may be overcome by 
kindness. It is not difficult to tame, and in time it appears 
to recognize and appreciate its protector, ceasing to discolor 
the water when sufficient familiarity has been established be- 
tween them. 

The eyes of the cuttle are so solid as to be almost calcare- 
ous, and are divided by a groove in the centre ; these halves 
are nearly globose at their outer surfaces, and reflect light 
with a " beautiful nacreous ojDalescence and play of colors." 
In Italy they are made into beads for necklaces. The cut- 
tle-bone when pounded is used as a polishing powder by 
jewelers, under the name of "pounce." It is also manu- 
factured into a dentifrice, and sold under the name of 
5 



80 THE OCEAN. 

"white coral-powder." Artists still use the natural sepia 
to some extent. 

The common squid (Loligo vulgaris} has the same nunu 
ber of arms as the cuttle, but differs in form and some other 
particulars. The body of the cuttle is of a broad oval shape, 
with no perceptible neck ; the squid is nearly triangular in 
shape, and has two plainly-defined necks, one much smaller 
inserted within the other and projecting beyond it. It has 
also very large eyes in proportion to its size. It is a free 
swimmer like the cuttle ; its spawn is also left to float freely, 
but in a large circular mass, consisting of an immense num- 
ber of branches, all containing quantities of ova and united 
to a common centre. It has been estimated that these " mop- 
like " masses contain nearly forty thousand eggs. The squid 
is also privileged to carry an ink-bag, of which he makes very 
free use ; and many fishermen attempting to catch them have 
experienced the fate of Tom Hood, of whom Mr. Lee tells 
the anecdote that, being unaware of this propensity of the 
cuttle-fish and squid, and having caught one of the former 
on his hook while angling in Love Harbor, he laid hold of it 
to unhook it, and received its full jet oVeau in the face. On 
being asked what he had on his line, he replied that he did 
not know exactly, but thought he had caught a young garden 
engine ! 

As these sorts of creatures are never eaten in this country, 
it may be news to some that they are very extensively used 
as food in many countries at the present time, and that the 
ancient as well as the modern Greeks considered them a deli- 
cacy when properly cooked. One cause of the favor in which 
they are held by the Orthodox Greek Catholics on the shores 
of the ^Egean Sea is the substitute which they offer in place 
of meat and fish, both of which are forbidden during the 
long fasts of the Greek Church. A cuttle is practically de- 
clared not to be a fish, and certainly it is not meat ; and so it 
finds its way into the pots and frying-pans even of the eccle- 



THE OCTOPUS AND ITS CONGENERS. 81 

siastics during Lent and other fasts in great quantities. A 
common way of catching them in the Mediterranean is by 
planting traps of stone jars or earthenware tubes, into which 
they creep, and are thus drawn up and secured. Everywhere 
they are used for bait, and the Indians of Vancouver's Island 
and Alaska eat them with relish, as do the inhabitants of 
China and the western coast of South America. There is a 
good story told of a party of savants in England endeavoring 
to make a dish of one, at a special dinner given for the pur- 
pose ; but the attempt was a complete failure — no one could 
swallow a morsel. The ancients described them under the 
name of polypus, and all classical scholars will recall the 
frequent references to these animals as articles of diet, es- 
pecially by the comic poets. 

The greatest enemies to the class of cephalopods are the 
porpoises, dolphins, and conger-eels. The last do not hesi- 
tate to attack even a devil-fish of considerable size, while the 
young are snapped up by a great variety of fishes. In fact, 
if the great mass of all the spawn produced by the denizens 
of the ocean were not devoured or otherwise destroyed, the 
watery world would long ago have become so over-populated 
as to be unnavigable, and its condition incompatible with the 
health of the human race. 



CHAPTEE YII. 
MOLLUSKS* 

THE BORING PHOLAS, TEREDO, ETC. 

The immense variety of the molliisca forbids us to at- 
tempt the portrayal of more than two or three members of 
this division of marine animals. The name niollusca is from 
the Latin mollis, meaning soft, because all these creatures 
are soft-bodied. They are separated into two grand divi- 
sions, the shelled, called conchifera, and the naked or shell- 
less, tunicata, which conceal themselves in a sort of leathery 
tube. Next they are distinguished as cephalous or acepha- 
lous, that is, with visible heads, or without that apparently 
essential member; again as cephalopoda, those whose feet 
extend from their heads ; pteropoda, those which have little 
wing-like expansions near the head ; and gasteropoda, hav- 
ing a muscular foot extending from the under portion of the 
body. The shell-bearing mollusks are divided into univalve, 
bivalve, and nfiultivalve, according as they have one, two, or 
more shell-plates ; and, finally, into the gregarious and the 
solitary. These last are considered the veritable represent- 
atives of this immense class of marine animals, which in- 
cludes almost every aquatic existence between a zoophyte 
and a fish. 

First, perhaps, it will be best to explain the process of 
shell-making ; for, although the shell is apparently only the 
house in which the animal lives, it is equally true that if you 
turn him out-of-doors he will die. The connection between 

1 For illustration of the hermit-crab see page 14. 



MOLLUSKS: THE BORING PHOLAS, TEREDO, ETC. 



83 



the inhabitant and its shell is a vital one. All these soft- 
bodied creatures are provided with a tough, leathery, tena- 
cious sort of skin, the coriitm, which is commonly called its 
mantle from the looseness with which it covers the body ; 
and it is from this mantle, which is a vital tissue, that is 
secreted the calcareous, earthy, horny, and sometimes glassy 




Otstees, showing Different Stages of Growth. 



matter which forms the shell. True, the embryo, while yet 
in the egg, shows a rudimentary shell, but this must neces- 
sarily be extended if it is to protect the growing and adult 
animal, which, unlike the Crustacea is not allowed to cast off 
its old coat and procure a new one. This secretion from the 



84 THE OCEAN. 

mantle proceeds continually until the animal has attained its 
adult size, when it appears to be passive, unless called upon 
to repair injuries, when its activity is again apparent. 

The curious varieties in shape which we see especially in 
the univalve shells, many of which are knobbed, ridged, or 
adorned with long spines, are all the result of the shape of 
the animal ; every inequality upon the shell showing a ridge 
or protuberance upon the underlying skin; and the long 
spines equally indicate the projections which the animal has 
thrown out, like so many arms, within its mantle. In many 
shelled mollusks this mantle appears to have been interwoven 




Giant Claii {Tridacna gigas). 

in a measure with the calcareous matter. This may be tested 
by submitting the shell to a strong heat, when the carbonate 
of lime will show white, and a fine black tracery will define 
the remains of the animal matter ; or, test your shell by a 
weak solution of muriatic acid, when the earthy matter will 
be dissolved, while the organic, usually in flakes of albumen, 
will remain, a delicate framework of the original shape of 
the shell. The mollusk tribe vary in size from the micro- 
scopic to the gigantic. Some specimens of the Tridacna 
gigas, or giant clam, have been found nearly five feet across, 
and weighing over five hundred pounds ! 



MOLLUSKS: THE BORING PHOLAS, TEREDO, ETC. 



85 




Among the gregarious mollusca are the valuable edible 
bivalves — oysters, clams, mussels, and the pearl-bearing pinta- 
dines, and also the destructive 
barnacles. The jpholadidcB and 
the Teredo navalis work singly, 
and it is to these Coring mol- 
lusca that we shall give our at- 
tention in this chapter more 
particularly, partly for the rea- 
son that their habits are very 
interesting jper se, and also be- 
cause they have been the sub- 
ject of much discussion among 
naturalists, and accurate knowl- 
edge in regard to them cannot 
fail to be serviceable to naval 
architects and all builders of 
docks, breakwaters, bridges, 
lighthouses, or any construc- 
tion which may be exposed to 
their ravages. 

The boring Pholas or date- 
shell is a bivalve of an oblong 
ovate form, which when closed 
is nearly cylindrical in shape, 
the upper or anterior part 
open; the shell is white and 
polished on the inside ; the 
valves are not joined closely 
together, but are connected by 
a strong, tough membrane, to 
which is joined an extra plate 
taking the direction of the col- 
umn of the main valves. It ^W 
makes its home in either stone date-shell (P/wias dactyim). 



Bivalve Shell.— a, a, bosses ; &, &, hinges 
c, principal teeth ; d, d, lateral teeth ; e, e 
muscular impressions ; /, pallial impres 
sions ; g, g, sides of the shell ; h, liga 
ment; Jc, ventral edges; o, front edge 
r, umbo. 




THE OCEAN. 



or wood ; in the latter it always bores across the grain. My 
specimens are snugly ensconced in a piece of rock, into 
which they are as nicely fitted as if the hole had been care- 
fully prepared for them by some skilled mechanic after 
taking their measure. Bather better, indeed, for as the shell 
is larger just above the base than it is at the top, and the 
hole conforms to this shape, there is no artificial means by 

which the animal 
could be introdnced 
to such a dwelling. 
Many have been 
the theories, and 
long the discussions, 
as to bow the ani- 
mal drilled out this 
cavity. It was for 
long as much a mys- 
tery as the question 
was to King George, 
" How did the apple 
get inside of the 
dumpling % " But 
careful observation 
of pholas in the aquarium has settled the fact that the ani- 
mal begins its excavation when young. Selecting its posi- 
tion, it drills by regular movements with the corners of the 
hinges of its shell, being aided in keeping its position by the 
integument binding the valves together, and as it drills it 
ejects the debris through a siphon-like tube. During the 
early part of its life it is obliged to work at intervals to make 
room for its increasing size, its object being evidently to pro- 
tect the whole of its shell. When its maturity is attained it 
can have no motive to continue to labor. In fact, it needs 
to be just below the surface of the rock or wood, and no 
more, for if it buried itself too deeply it would be unable to 




Stone-Borers (Pholas dactylus), which have hollowed out 
shelters in a block of gneiss. 



MOLLUSKS: THE BORIXG PHOLAS, TEREDO, ETC. 87 

reach out for passing food. As it never leaves its position, 
it is entirely dependent npon what floats by it. When fully 
extended, the animal protrudes beyond the cavity a trine 
farther than the length of its own shell. When it draws 
itself within, it is amply protected by its rocky fortress from 
most of its enemies ; but starfish are exceedingly expert at 
extracting them from their holes, and in an aquarium must 
be closely watched or mischief may follow. 

There is another little animal which is a stone-borer, and 
is usually found in caves and clefts of rocks subject to tidal 
changes ; it is commonly known as " red-nose " (Saxicava 
rugosa). It prefers dark and secluded places, and is able to 
bore into the hardest limestone rocks. Its common name is 
derived from the circumstance that when extending itself 
from the orifice of its dwelling it presents a whitish, fleshy 
tentacle or tube-like proboscis, which is of a bright crimson 
at its extremity. This really consists of two parallel tubes, 
and out of it the animal squirts water if frightened or dis- 
turbed. Thus, if you attempt to pull one out of his domi- 
cile, and he perceives the intention in time, you will receive 
a few drops of water in your face, very well aimed. If you 
actually succeed in seizing upon his long, red nose, you are 
no nearer capturing him — out yoic cannot drag him ; his 
proboscis slips through your fingers, in he pops, and there he 
sits, laughing you to scorn. Your only chance of securing him 
is not to dislodge him, but to take house and all, by breaking 
off the portion of rock in which he is intrenched ; and, when 
he is placed in the aquarium, hunger will eventually compel 
him to show his crimson standard once more. His shell (bi- 
valve) is of a dirty-white color, thick in proportion to its 
length, and rough on the outer surface. 

A greater enemy to the ship-owner and dike-builders than 
even the date-shells or the barnacles can be is the Teredo 
navalis or ship-worm. This long, worm-like mollusk is all 
the more dangerous that it works so rapidly within the tim- 



88 THE OCEAN. 

ber, while unseen from the outside ; at least, without a close 
and careful examination, its presence may remain unsus- 
pected. Thus not only ships, but piers and dikes, are par- 
ticularly endangered. The wood becomes perforated by 
millions of these unseen borers, who always work under 



AAA. | J 





Wood exposed from November, 1ST4, to 
September, 18T6, in crib at Pier No. 1, 
New York, North River, twenty-five 
feet below mean low tide. 



This cut was made from a Teredo navalis, 
taken from a pile exposed two seasons 
(1S76 and 18TT) at Horn Island, Gulf of 
Mexico. When first taken from the wood 
it was eighteen inches long. 



MOLLUSKS: THE BORING PHOLAS, TEREDO, ETC. 89 

water; and. until we learned to copper-sheath our ships, 
doubtless many lives were sacrificed through the mischiev- 
ous activity of these vegetarian mollusks. 

The teredos occupy a middle position between the naked 
mollusks and the bivalves. The globose portion of the ani- 
mal is inclosed in two small, thin, delicate valves of a shelly 
substance. Its mantle forms a fleshy sheath to its long, 
worm-like body, which is compounded of a double tube, 
joined for three-fourths of its length, but toward the ex- 
tremity dividing into two separate tubes ; or, we may say, 
it possesses a bifurcated tail. The use of the two tubes is 
to introduce through the one the organic particles which con- 
stitute its food and aerated water, while through the other 
are ejected the vitiated air and other exuviae of the system. 
The exceeding narrowness of the body requires that all the 
internal organs should be placed as it were in procession — 
one following the other in a line. 

The young larva, as soon as it leaves the egg, is able to 
swim about by the aid of vibratory cilia. Its immediate 
object in life is to find a piece of wood which it may begin 
to bore ; having found this essential to its existence, it may 
be seen prospecting for a hore, traversing the timber like an 
intelligent miner to decide upon an opening. Its incision, 
when the spot is finally decided upon, is in the direction of 
the grain of the wood (the opposite of the pholas). When 
it has effected an entrance sufficiently large to contain half 
of its body, it commences the secretion of its shell, first ex- 
uding a mucous fluid which soon hardens to the necessary 
consistency. In about three days the process is conrpleted. 

In this shelly covering holes are left through which the 
tubes or siphons may be projected, and which are lengthened 
or contracted at will. The horing apparatus, in the case of 
the teredo, is believed to be the stout cutaneous folds which 
envelop the anterior portion of the animal, which are cov- 
ered with a thick, leathery epidermis, and moved by four 



90 



THE OCEAN. 



strong muscles. It cannot be the shell, for that is not formed 
till the work is nearly done. Some naturalists assert that 
the young teredo feeds upon its own chips, that is, upon the 
raspings of the wood while it is making the perforation. 
This, however, needs 
confirmation. Dr. E. 
H. von Baumhauer 
says : 

" The teredo does 
not always remain in 
peaceable enjoyment of 
the home he has con- 
structed, and the nour- 
ishment the water 




This cut was made from a piece of pine-slab, partially creosoted and exposed one season (1S77) 
in the Gulf of Mexico. Only the dark-colored portion on the right side of the block was 
creosoted for this experiment. The rest of the block, untreated, was entirely riddled by 
the Teredo navalis, up to the edge of the creosoted portion, but that the destructive ma- 
rine worm carefully avoided. 



brings to him. He finds himself exposed to the attacks of an 
enemy, of an annelid to which the late M. W. de Haan has 
given the name of Lycoris fucata. In our day, as well as at 



M0LLUSK3: THE BORING PHOLAS, TEREDO, ETC. 91 

former epochs, this annelid is constantly found wherever the 
teredo exists. His eggs and embryos are met with in the midst 
of those of that mollusk. 

" Kater has remarked that the adult annelid, leaving the 
muddy bottom, where he has hibernated, and in which the 
piles are driven, climbs along the surface of the wood toward 
the opening made by the teredo ; there he sucks away the life 
and substance of his victim ; then, slightly enlarging the aper- 
ture, he penetrates and lodges in place of the teredo. Later 
the annelid reappears and seeks for new prey. All the early 
writers on this subject state that they have found this 
annelid in wood at the same time with the teredo. It 
is remarkable that a similar annelid, and perhaps the 
same, has been found in the cavities hollowed out in 
stone by the pholades. 

" It is important that it should be generally under- 
stood that this annelid is not only harmless, but renders 
the greatest service in devouring the wood-destroyer. 
It is a narrow annelid, ten to fifteen centimetres long, 
provided on his sides with a great number of small 
feet terminated with a point and garnished with hairs, 
and showing in front a pair of strong upper jaws, horny 
and sharp, and lower jaws bent backward in form of 
hooks and carried outside by the aid of the lower lip, 
which is developed somewhat like the finger of a glove, 
turned backward. Behind the head are four pairs of fucata! 
tubular-formed gills. With these weapons the annelid 
pursues and devours the teredo. The observations of Kater 
teach us that he is generally found in the empty galleries with 
the remains of the teredo ; sometimes even he is seen as if 
clothed with the integuments of the teredo, while he is occu- 
pied in ransacking his intestines." 

Some of the commonest bivalves found upon our shores 
are as interesting as the more scarce varieties, if one will 
bestow sufficient attention upon them. There is one with 
a somewhat sanguinary name, the " bloody - clam," or area 



92 THE OCEAX. 

(Argina pexata), which deserves a brief notice. Its name 
of area is derived from its supposed resemblance to a chest 
or box ; but to our eyes it must be a chest with the corners 
knocked off, for it has no acnte angles. The outer surface 
is roughly corrugated, and covered with hair-like spines. 
But its principal attraction is its bright, orange-colored man- 
tle, which ornaments the edge of the shell in ample folds 
like a gorgeous Elizabethan ruff. Its common name the 
fishermen have applied to it from the fact that when they 
open it a red, sanguinous-colored fluid is discharged. This 
animal has the habit of tying itself down with a byssus, as 
is the case with the mussels and many other mollusks. I 
have kept this species for a long time in my aquarium. 
They are peaceable, and have no offensive habits. Indeed, 
this is true of all the mollusks which anchor themselves in 
the manner described; they accept what prey Providence 
sends them, but of course they pursue none. 

Mytilus edulis, or edible mussel, is the small, black-shelled 
mussel commonly sold in the markets, and sometimes pre- 
served by pickling. In France and some other parts of Eu- 
rope these mussels are cultivated very extensively, and fur- 
nish food to the inhabitants in even greater quantities than 
does the oyster. They are thickly strewed on our shore in 
many localities. At Fort Hamilton scarcely a stone can be 
found at low tide but is covered with them ; and even old 
wooden posts standing in the water a little distance from the 
shore are loaded with them. These belong most emphati- 
cally to the class of gregarious mollusks, occurring often in 
heaps, so that they have been used in some instances as natu- 
ral buttresses to support bridges or breakwaters near the sea- 
shore. The combined strength of bushels of mussels, all 
fastened together with their silken byssus-threads, which are 
very strong, makes a more resisting wall than can be built 
by the human mason. 

On our own coasts they live and flourish, simply opening 



MOLLUSKS: THE BORING PHOLAS, TEREDO, ETC. 



93 




Common Salt-water Mussel (Mytilus 



their valves when hungry to receive whatever the ocean- 
waves may bring them. Millions on millions are, however, 
annually destroyed by the blackfish (Tautog), which is very 
fond of nipping them off, especially when they are young 
and their shells are comparatively soft and tender. Some 
of these shells are very prettily marked with light, striated 
bands ; the lines form a sweep something like the tail of a 
comet, taking the narrow, hinged portion of the shell for the 
head or nucleus of the stream- 
ers. Occasionally we observe 
among the mass of jetty-black 
shells one or more of a deep 
orange - color. In the tank 
their most attractive feature is 
the perfect byssus which they 
spin from an internal organ, 
which only the fisherman sees 
in its natural state, and which is usually a great novelty to 
the inland amateur. 

There is another variety of the mussel, not edible, called 
the Modiola plicatula, and which is equally plentiful as the 
last on our shores. It has a very handsome shell, corrugated 
and marked with mathematical perfection over its entire sur- 
face. It is used extensively for ornamental purposes, the 
rough outer corrugations being ground down to a perfectly 
smooth surface, and then polished with rotten-stone and 
rouge. All the beauty of the corrugated markings remains 
visible through the substance of the mother-of-pearl which 
is revealed in the process ; or, to speak more accurately, the 
nice shading of the original undulations preserves the ap- 
pearance of these markings, while the surface is really as 
smooth as glass, and shows beautiful iridescent colors. Some 
of the flats on and near Coney Island are literally paved with 
these shells so thickly that one can walk over them for miles ; 



94 



THE OCEAN. 



and little do many people think, as they crush them, that 
in so doing they are trampling nnder foot the rudimentary 
jewelry they may some day pay a high price for the privi- 
lege of wearing. 

Modiola modiolus is a species which I have never found 
nearer to New York than the Massachusetts coast, though I 
believe it exists here. It is rather an interesting animal for 
the aquarium. It is very hardy and gives no trouble. Its 
shell is covered with soft spines or hair-like appendages, for 
which I have discovered no use, unless when in its natural 
state they serve to conceal the animal from some of the vora- 
cious fishes which are constantly preying upon the mussel 
tribe. They display no sociability in the aquarium, neither 
troubling their neighbors nor me ; in fact, though I rather 
like the little creature, which I have had for more than a 
year, I have never yet been able to elicit from it a glance of 
affection or even recognition ! 

Mya arenaria. — Did anybody ever think of the prosaic 
clam as an object of scientific interest — the veritable " soft 
clam," which is a staple article in our markets % Despise it 
not ; it has its virtues, besides those suc- 
culent ones recognized by the connoisseurs 
of the table. Writers on the aquarium 
usually pass this animal by, or content 
themselves with remarking that it will 
not thrive in the aquarium. My experi- 
ence does not coincide with this. I have 
had one in a healthy, lively condition for 
a long time, and have found it of quite 
sufficient interest to pay for the room it 
occupies. Its manner of sustenance is pro- 
vided for by the simple arrangement of a 
double tube through which the food-bearing current enters. 
These tubes are furnished with a delicate, pretty, white fringe, 




Soft Clam {Mya are- 
naria). 




MOLLUSKS: THE BORING PHOLAS, TEREDO, ETC. 95 

which acts as a kind of filter, preventing objects too large 
to be received into the stomach from entering. Under a lens 
this gentle current is easily detected by the flow of particles 
in the water, which may be seen entering the tubes. 

The Venus mercenaries, or common hard-shell clam, is 
too well known to need description here. Its shell is large, 
round, and of stony hardness. It will 
thrive in the aquarium, and is not so 
destitute of good looks as the unobserv- 
ant might imagine. "When open it 
shows a very handsome double frilling 
of pure white. It is called by the Long 
Island fishermen the quahog clam. haed-s^TcC^ (Vmus 

Anomia glabra, or the jingle-shell, 
is one of the most numerous and widely distributed mol- 
lusks, and I venture to say that this pretty little shell has 
been picked up by almost every person who has ever visited 
the sea-shore. They are sometimes called " silver-shells " or 
"golden-shells," because some of them have a silvery ap- 
pearance, while others have a yellowish tint ; they are very 
thin, even fragile in texture, and not usually larger than a 
nickel cent. When a number of them are assembled to- 
gether, there may often be heard a sort of jingling sound. 
But the prettiest thing about this shell is to possess it when 
alive, and observe the proceedings of its owner. I always 
have more or less of them in my vases, for they are as harm- 
less and modest as they are attractive in appearance ; and I 
should not consider my collection as in any way complete 
without them. 

They are eminently gregarious in their habits, and have 
a most singular way of arranging themselves in layers and 
bunches. A favorite mode with them is to select an old 
scallop-shell (pecten), and arrange themselves around it as 
far as the space permits, on the concave side ; and, if there 



THE OCEAN. 



are more of them than will go round, they pile up layer 
upon layer, one on the top of the other. But this is not the 
strangest part of their proceedings ; the way in which they 
fasten themselves to the old shell, or to each other, is a nov- 
elty even among the many wonders of the lower orders of 
creation. Their mode is to rivet themselves to whatever ob- 
ject they desire to attach themselves to. If you find a clump 
of these shells and attempt to separate them one from the 
other, and from the base on which the group is fixed, you 
will find that each shell on its under part is perforated, and 
into this perforation a little excrescence is inserted and nicely 
fitted, just as a rivet would fasten one piece of iron to an- 
other. This is the mystery of the holes which are so often 
observed in these little silver and golden shells. 

It is curious to see, if one gives the group a slight tap, or 
if they are in any way disturbed, how each one closes its 
doors in regular succession, as if an inaudible order had been 
given, " Close shells ! one — two — three ! " and so on, till the 
whole mass is as thoroughly protected from intrusion as their 
delicate coverings will permit. 

The little boat-shell (Crepidulafornicata),wh.en emptied 
of its inhabitant, bears a close resemblance to a row-boat, with 
a very serviceable seat in the stern, extending quite across, 
with a hollow space beneath it. These 
mollusks are mostly found on oyster, 
clam, or other shells; sometimes on 
stone or wood, or on the coarser kinds 
of algse. Their general appearance in 
this position is like a quantity of ovah 
shaped, shallow cups piled together in 
a reversed position, for they pile them- 
selves up in tiers five or six deep. To 
see the animal which inhabits them, 
we must pull the shells apart, and look 

Boat-Shell (Crepidula). on the Under side. 




MOLLUSKS: THE BORING PHOLAS, TEREDO, ETC. 97 

But we might go on almost endlessly without being able 
to give, after all, more than a fraction of this numerous — we 
might say inexhaustible — family of mollusks. Fearing to 
weary the reader, we shall add but one more to our list. 

The Chiton (called also Chcetopleura) is a gasteropod, at- 
tractive from its handsome and serviceable shell. The name 




Chiton Squamosum and C Spinosus. 

chiton, that of the ancient Greek cuirass or coat of mail, was 
given it from a fancied resemblance in the folds or joints of 
its carapace to that article. To our eyes it is strongly sug- 
gestive of the "painted water-turtle" (Chrysemys picta), for 
there is a striking analogy in the markings on the shell of 
this reptile to the imbricated carapace of the chiton. But 
its structure is entirely different. Instead of consisting of 
one solid piece, our little mollusk is arrayed in chain-armor, 
the eight bands of plates overlapping each other, and united 
by an integumentary substance which enables the animal to 
roll itself together like a wood-louse. The chiton grows to 
a length of two and a half to three inches, and is of a green- 
ish-gray color, the divisions of the shell transversely being 
marked by darker lines,, something like shagreen skin. It 
has a suboval foot, and can if it chooses cement itself firmly 
to a shell, or any hard substance, by a gelatinous fluid which 
it secretes. Its head consists of a puckered frill of a mem- 
branous consistency. It is furnished with certain small or- 



98 THE OCEAN. 

gans resembling the spiricula of the annulose tribe — two 
little wheel-like objects which, working in reverse directions, 
act like the grinders of vertebrate animals in preparing food 
for its stomach. 

The chitons are very widely dispersed, being fonnd in 
almost every part of the world, some varieties remaining al- 
ways in deep water, while others near the shore have the 
habit of sunning themselves on the rocks. 

Botryllus violaceous. — The Botryllidia, sometimes called 
" little bottles ■' from their shape, are a curious combination 
of partly gelatinous and cartilaginous objects, whose exact 
status it is difficult to fix ; for some of them have also tiny 
shells of a very delicate nature, while their general appear- 
ance to the naked eye is more like patches of bright-colored 
jelly than anything else. Sometimes they are arranged in 
the form of a bunch of grapes, and their color is of a green- 
ish gray with dark-blue markings ; again they may be found 
of a white color with black star-like centres, or the reverse ; 
the colors in other groups will vary from a light yellow to a 
deep wine color. The shelly substance is of the nature of 
spiculse. They are mostly attached to rock or stones subject 
to tidal changes. Each of the little animals maintains a 
nearly vertical position, and the more closely they are in- 
spected the better do they repay investigation. They seldom 
exceed over a fourth of an inch in length, and are usually 
aggregated in patches of five or six inches in diameter. 
They belong to the tribe of ascidians. Gosse places them 
among the mollusks. Quantities of the Botryllidia may be 
found among the rocks at the northern end of Manhattan 
Island, along the shores of the East River and Long Island 
Sound. The searcher for these interesting groups will 
usually find them arranged in a nearly circular form, or 
rayed like the spokes of a wheel ; and these show a sensitive- 
ness of the whole community if the centre, or what we might 



MOLLUSKS: THE BORING PHOLAS, TEREDO, ETC. 99 

call tlie " hub," is touched, while if the extremity of one of 
the rays is disturbed, only the individuals annoyed will evince 
sensation. They are a kind of link between animals possess- 
ing a purely individual life and that of the hydroids, which 
is essentially compound. 



CHAPTEE VIII. 

THE HERMIT-CRAB. 

" We shall be well off here," said I to Conseil. " As well, by your 
honor's leave, as a hermit-crab in the shell of a whelk," said Conseil. — 



The hermit-crab, also called the soldier-crab (represented, 
with a sea-anemone on its back, on page 14), is truly the step- 
child of Dame Nature, the homeless gamin of the shore ; 
" being sent into this breathing world," as Richard of Glou- 
cester says, " scarce half made up." In other words, while 
its anterior portion is provided with the shelly vesture of 
other crustaceans, its rear portion is left without any protec- 
tion. Hence may have been developed those pugnacious 
qualities which have added to its title the warlike appella- 
tion of " soldier." For necessarily the animal becomes a 
soldier of fortune, the first business of its life being to find, 
seize, hold, and defend some shell into which it may thrust 
the soft part of its body, and thus save it from the attacks of 
enemies and the voracious bites of hungry fish. 

The American hermit-crab, the Pagurus longicarpus, is 
distinguished, as its name imports, by the length of its (right) 
hand or claw. The English variety, the P. Bemhardus, is 
the species described in most of the popular " sea-shore 
books." But in the State of New York, the Carolinas, and 
Georgia, including the sea-coast and fluviatile species, many 
varieties have been recognized. They are usually supplied 
with shorter antennae than other crabs, and the soft end of 



THE HERMIT-CRAB. 101 

their unprotected extremity is furnished with a pair of un- 
equal appendices, the use of which we shall describe as we 
proceed. It is not easy to find perfect adult specimens of 
the hermit-crab, many of them having lost their antennas and 
one or both eyes. The fishermen attribute this to the at- 
tacks of the blackfish, which are believed to bite them off ; 
but the fact may equally well be accounted for by the pug- 
nacious habits of the creatures, who frequently indulge in 
sparring-matches among themselves, especially when a new 
residence is an object of desire to more than one. Some 
form of the whelk-shell is usually preferred by the hermit. 
The young use a shell suitable to their size until it becomes 
too small for them, when they set out in quest of something 
better adapted to their growth. If empty shells are plenty 
along the shore, the work of selection goes on carefully, even 
warily, but without difficulty. The hermit invariably puts 
his long claw into the supposed empty shell first, to see that 
there is no concealed, dormant inhabitant within ; having 
made sure of this, he whisks his hinder portions into it with 
marvelous rapidity, keeping hold of his old shell in case he 
should not like the new. Sometimes he will try several 
shells in succession, examining and testing them as carefully 
as a dandy will try on numerous coats before he gets one 
just to his mind. Having finally selected his shell, he re- 
mains in happy possession, unless he should unfortunately 
be attacked by a brother hermit who thinks he would prefer 
that particular dwelling to his own. If of equal size, the 
hermits are cautious about coming to blows, but will stand 
in something like the attitude in which Russia and England 
stand to-day (April, 1878), glaring at each other without 
either daring to take the initiative ; but if the aggressor is 
sure that he is the stronger of the two, the other may find 
himself pulled out of his shell, the victor taking immediate 
possession, and usually making a fine repast upon the van- 
quished. If in an aquarium two shell-less hermits are put 



102 THE OCEAN. 

into a tank with only one shell which can be occupied, then 
comes the tug of war ; each will endeavor to seize it, and the 
" best man wins." Among no class of animals can the doc- 
trine of the " survival of the fittest " be better exemplified ; 
with scarcely any do the absolute qualities of strength and 
courage find such constant occasion for use. Two tigers may 
fight, and the beaten may retire to his own jungle and nurse 
his wounds ; two hawks may make the feathers fly in a pro- 
longed contest, but the world is wide, and the worsted party 
knows where to seek a retreat ; two common crabs may come 
into collision and despoil each other of a claw or so, but their 
claws will grow again ; but our poor hermit, if dragged out 
of his shell, is not only houseless and homeless, but is, like 
Cardinal Wolsey, "left naked to his enemies." No one 
knows better than the animal himself the risks of this con- 
dition, and until he can refit himself with a dwelling he goes 
about as disconsolate as a New-Yorker might do, who had 
been turned out of his house, and found himself approaching 
the first hours of May-day with no new residence secured. 

It is not always necessity, however, which forces a hermit 
to change his residence. He may have a sufficiently com- 
modious and comfortable house, but, if he meets with one 
which strikes his fancy better, he has no sentimental regrets 
or reminiscences over the old homestead ; but out he goes 
from the old and into the new with the facility of a "Western 
pioneer when " prospecting " for a location. Probably the 
choice is really determined by the capacity of concealment 
and consequent protection which a given shell offers; for 
the crab, in fitting himself into his home, dexterously clasps 
the most deeply-recessed whorl of the shell by the two hooked 
appendices of his caudal extremity, and admirably adapts the 
soft part of his body to the interior ; and if the shell will al- 
low him to draw a portion of his anterior parts under shelter, 
so much the better. It is astonishing what force he exerts 
to retain his protecting shell. It is no easy job to get him 



THE HERMIT-CRAB. 103 

out either by force or stratagem ; and, unless when desirous 
of making a change himself, he never leaves his shell except 
when sick, or suffering from impure water in a tank, or ap- 
proaching death, when he always vacates his borrowed house, 
as if he did not wish to be found in extremis with stolen 
goods upon his person. In the aquarium his motions in this 
respect will plainly indicate if there is any fault in the water ; 
if it has become impure from any decayed substance, or 
supercharged with carbonic acid, our friend will quit the 
shell he may have been at much trouble to obtain, and climb 
up toward the surface, on the rock elevation or a growth of 
algse. 

In life the hermit-crab assumes many characters. In his 
assorting and choice of old deserted shells, he may be con- 
sidered as a dealer in old clothes — a unique profession in 
animal life ; for though some birds appropriate the nests of 
others, and bees will occupy artificial homes, yet for a per- 
sonal vesture the hermit-crab alone is dependent upon other 
animals. Nor is he unsuspected of " flat burglary as ever 
was committed," and sometimes murder withal ; for he has 
been known to assault a disabled whelk that was unable to 
defend itself, put in his long claw, draw out the poor animal, 
and slip himself into the yet warm dwelling, and inarch 
about with his ill-gotten prize, as proud as the most noble 
warrior-robber in the world. Yet for all his sins is not Na- 
ture accountable, in having thrust him into the midst of 
enemies so indifferently accoutred % But must we not add 
hypocrisy to the list of his vices, in that he always appropri- 
ates the shell of an animal which is meekness itself, and thus 
deludes those that would prey upon him into the belief that 
they would meet with little resistance % Besides the whelk- 
shells, the Fulgur carica is his choice. 

But with this long and serious presentment against him 
there is much to be said in his favor. Give him a respect- 
able shell, and enough to eat, either mollusks or meat, and 



104 THE OCEAN. 

he will usually be harmless and peaceable enough. He is 
also very active, and causes much amusement by his constant 
efforts to scale every piece of rock or other elevation, such 
as the stronger vegetable growths which can bear his weight. 
"When he happens to fancy a slippery frond, it is curious to 
see how he will persevere, " hauling, slipping, and tugging," 
to get to the top ; and if after immense toil he reaches the 
topmost pinnacle of a piece of rock-work, where he is very 
apt to lose his balance and fall plump down again, he takes 
it all as part of the play, and repeats the experiment, or seeks 
some new scene for his exploits. 

If the hermit is obliged to take up with a damaged shell, 
in which he is not securely lodged, it is quite pitiful to see 
the efforts which he makes to retain his hold ; for if he has 
not a firm grip upon the interior whorl of the shell he is in- 
habiting, he is not only exposed to the attacks of his natural 
enemies, but is unable to resist the action of the waves, and 
finds himself tumbled over and over in spite of his desperate 
efforts to grasp at stones or anything within reach by which 
he may obtain a purchase to prevent being swept away. 

The peculiar formation of the hermit-crab is well adapted 
to the habits of the animal. The claws in particular are so 
modified that the longer one serves for a sort of barricade at 
the shell's mouth, while the smaller one is easily tucked 
away within, taking up but little room. The curious kinds 
of companionship which sometimes exist between very dif- 
ferent animals — such as the pilot-fish with the shark, for in- 
stance — are exemplified in the frequent presence of a small 
worm, known as the Nereis, in the shell occupied by a her- 
mit-crab ; and it is highly amusing to see this secondary in- 
truder suddenly slip out and snatch away some choice mor- 
sel which Mr. Crab was about to place in his own maw, and 
the different degrees of patience or vexation which the her- 
mit will exhibit at his loss, sometimes allowing the theft to 
go unnoticed, and then again trying to recover it by thrust- 



THE HERMIT-CRAB. 105 

ing one of his claws into the interior of the shell. Besides 
the occasional loss of a tidbit in this manner, the nereis is 
often an indirect cause of calamity to the crab ; for this little 
worm is much valued for bait, and fishermen often turn the 
crab out of his shell simply to get at the worm. 

These hermit-crabs may often be found in the tide-pools 
left upon the shore anywhere in the vicinity of New York, 
on the islands in the bay, or on the shores of Long Island ; 
and small ones may sometimes be obtained at the fish-mar- 
kets, among the silver shrimp snugly ensconced in whelk- 
shells. 

Besides the intrusive nereis, the hermit is often attended 
by a parasite actinia, which, however, is satisfied with a seat 
upon the roof of this ambulatory house. Mr. Gosse, the 
famous English naturalist, believes that there is sometimes a 
conscious companionship between the actinian Admnsia jpal- 
liata and the hermit ; and he narrates an incident to prove 
it of which he was an eye-witness. He says that the crab, 
having chosen a new home, returned to the old one, and 
with his claws carefully detached the actinia from the aban- 
doned shell, and placed it upon the top of the new — actually 
giving the zoophyte several taps with his great claw, as 
though he would say, " There, my friend, be quick now and 
attach yourself ! " 

Another species of actinia is too loving to be wholesome. 
This is the " mantle anemone," which entirely clasps and 
eventually grows over the hermit, destroying its life ; and 
reciprocally the anemone appears to die of grief, for it does 
not long survive. 

If a hermit-crab cannot find a shell of any description, he 
will temporarily seek shelter for his exposed body in a hole 
in a rock, or even in a sponge ; and one in captivity, having 
no other resource, took up his residence in a living actinia, 
dragging the poor thing about with him wherever he went. 



106 THE OCEAN. 

Strange to say, this companionship endured for a consider- 
able time without fatal injury to either party. 

The mode of progression with the hermit-crab often looks 
clumsy and even painful, if he happens to occupy a shell 
too heavy for his size ; but it will be remembered that he has 
a good grip upon the inside, and that his arms or claws are 
very strong. With these he grasps some inequality in the 
rock, or digs them into the sand, and then drags the shell 
after him ; and it is surprising how quickly he gets over the 
ground with his voluntary burden. 

How early in life the young crab commences "house- 
hunting" appears to be undetermined; but it is probably 
very soon after hatching, since there would never be a mo- 
ment's security for him while unprotected. 



CHAPTER IX. 

SOME CURIOUS DENIZENS OF TEE SEA. 

The Sea-Horse. — The name of this unique production 
of the marine world would scarcely suggest to the imagina- 



The Sea-Hoese (Hippocampus Hudsonius), feeding on Serpula. 

tion anything like the reality. "We should naturally suppose 
it was a large animal, instead of which it rarely attains a 



108 THE OCEAN. 

length of six inches ; but though so different from the quad- 
ruped after which it is named, both in size and structure, 
there is something about the head and neck, particularly in 
the pose of the latter, which invariably suggests an equine 
resemblance. 

Some of the ancient philosophers who appreciated the 
productiveness of the sea, regarding it, according to the the- 
ogony of Greece, as the mother of all living beings (hence 
Yenus is always represented as having originally risen from 
the sea), knew of one variety at least of this little fish, for 
they gave it the name of Hippocampus, from two Greek 
words meaning curved horse. They believed it to be the 
embryo of Neptune's fiery steeds. American naturalists 
have given the name IT. Hitdsonius to a species found in the 
tide-water of the Hudson River. The genus is very widely 
distributed, being found in all seas. 

Viewed superficially, the undoubted likeness to the horse 
is but a reminder to the thoughtful observer that a resem- 
blance may be very striking, and yet have no basis • in struct- 
ural similarity; that a likeness, however marked, may be, 
and often is, only imaginary or analogical. In this mistaking 
of semblance for reality, and reasoning from mere form to 
function, lies the foundation of many popular errors ; though 
there is no clanger of any modern mistaking the sea-horse for 
the progenitor of a quadruped. Still, as great errors as this 
would be have actually misled many observers in the field of 
natural science, particularly in the matter of mistaking the 
young of certain marine animals for distinct species, and 
classing them according to some fancied resemblance with 
other animals with which they had no true affinity. 

The parts of the sea-horse which most resemble the real 
horse are totally different in internal structure and function 
from the supposed prototype. Following the outline of the 
little fish, we observe that the part of the head which looks 
like the jaw of a horse is in reality the respiratory apparatus 



SOME CURIOUS DENIZENS OF THE SEA. 109 

or gills of the fish. The nostrils, instead of being at the end 
of the snout-like projection of the head, are really close be- 
low the eyes, and the mouth has a valvular form, and, though 
in the same situation, opens upward or vertically, instead of 
longitudinally. On the upper part of the head, on either 
side, are two little organs bearing a resemblance to ears ; and 
along the back is a similar structure which might be likened 
to a mane, but which really consists of fins, the only organs 
of progression which enable the animal to swim about, since 
it has no caudal fin ; all which similarity of appearance, with 
dissimilarity of function, illustrates the absurdity of arguing 
from analogy to identity. The office of true science, with 
its keen eye, is to look through form to substance, through 
appearances to reality ; and in doing this multitudes of old 
errors are constantly being discovered and swept away. 

If we are asked what the sea-horse really is, we answer, a 
fish, in a measure — not wholly; for while he is in many 
points fish-like, he is yet totally unlike any other fish in an 
important particular. The grand division of fishes is into 
two classes. In the first of these the backbone is prolonged 
into the tail, and one lobe of the caudal fin is much larger 
than the other ; hence this class is called heterocercal or un- 
equal-lobed. These are now few in number, but abounded 
in the early ages of the globe, when fish-life was at its maxi- 
mum. Most of the present representatives belong to the 
homocercal class, those having tails with equal lobes. There 
is a great diversity in the shape of fishes' tails, which may be 
considered their rudder or steering apparatus. But our poor 
little sea-horse cannot be admitted into either of these two 
grand divisions ; in fact, he has no proper tail for a fish ! 

In all other fishes it is the caudal appendage which de- 
termines the onward movement, and is capable of lateral mo- 
tion only, striking right and left, as the water is turned aside 
by the starboard and larboard turn of a ship's rudder, or like 
an oar in sculling, which equally propels the boat onward. 



HO THE OCEAN. 

But while the sea-horse has the same general osseous and mus- 
cular structure as ordinary fishes, its tail, instead of ending 
in a fin, is prolonged far backward, and is capable of free 
vertical movement, and is prehensile as a ring-tailed monkey's 
caudal extension. It is not in any sense an organ of pro- 
gression, and is usually carried in a curve or coil directed 
downward, and (quite contrary to the rule in ordinary fishes) 
has very feeble muscles for lateral motion. 

Not all the fins of fishes are employed in aid of locomo- 
tion. Some are for the purpose of accurately balancing the 
fish ; and if one of these is cut off or injured, the fish there- 
after swims unevenly — lop-sided. Should both of the pair 
near the gills be removed the poor fish would have to swim 
with its head pointed downward ; the body could no longer 
retain its horizontal position, and the fish would he in danger 
of drowning from its inability to aerate its gills. There is, 
however, one fish, of the genus Monoptera, which has but 
one fin, and that the caudal — a complete contrast to the sea- 
horse. 

The absence of posterior limbs in an animal is indicative 
of a low position in the scale of Nature's productions ; for 
instance, some lizards are thus " degraded," as the scientists 
term the lower forms of a class. The sea-horse, however in- 
teresting he may be to us, must be placed in the same cate- 
gory ; for, alas ! he has only one pair of fins, and these are 
on the sides of the head, and he has but a single fin upon the 
back. Nevertheless, all unconscious of his scientific " degra- 
dation," he manages to enjoy his life and to move about quite 
rapidly by the aid of these deficient propellers, with an even, 
gliding sort of motion, the fins maintaining the while a rapid 
vibratory action. The principal one, which is the dorsal, 
has exactly the screw-like motion of a steamer's propeller. 
Owing to the limited number and peculiar position of its 
fins, it swims with its body in a perpendicular position. The 
motion of the fins is in its character analogous to that of the 



SOME CURIOUS DENIZENS OF THE SEA. HI 

cilia of polyj)S and others of the lowest orders of animals, as 
the rotifera. 

The prehensile tail is nsed to clasp around objects like a 
finger ; with it, it will seize hold of almost anything and sup- 
port itself thus attached to sea-weeds or even floating sub- 
stances. I have had some in my aquarium which became so 
thoroughly domesticated, that they would answer my signal 
of tapping on the glass, come to the surface, and on my pre- 
senting a finger would coil the tail around it, looking inquir- 
ingly into my face with their bright, movable eyes. And 
here again it differs from ordinary fishes : it has the power 
of moving its head and eyes independently of its body, a 
power which is possessed by but one other fish of the present 
day, the gar-pike of our "Western rivers. This variation from 
ordinary types suggests how we sometimes find the applica- 
tion of different organs to similar purposes : the sea-horse 
uses his tail for the same purpose as the elephant uses his 
nose (for the proboscis is but a prolonged nose), that is, to lay 
hold of objects, just as the wings of a butterfly do the service 
for it which fins perform for the fish. 

The young of the sea-horse, like those of most marine 
animals, are produced from eggs ; but its mode of protecting 
them bears more analogy to that of the marsupial quadrupeds 
than of its neighbors the fishes. When newly hatched they 
are carried in a double fold of skin upon the abdomen, where 
they remain, like the young of the kangaroo in the maternal 
pouch, until they reach a sufficient degree of maturity to be 
trusted to go alone. The most singular part of this arrange- 
ment is, that it is not the female but the male sea-horse which 
thus protects and cares for the young ; being in this a coun- 
terpart to the little fresh-water stickleback, the male of which 
assumes nearly the whole care of guarding his precious prog- 
eny. But while the stickleback only watches the nest, the 
male sea-horse may be seen during any breeding-season with 
this external pouch distended with young. Unlike the young 



112 THE OCEAN. 

of the kangaroo, the youthful sea-horse when once emanci- 
pated does not return to the parental pouch, but maintains a 
free and untrammeled existence. 

A fain ily of young sea-horses, swimming in a glass tank 
of pure sea-water, is one of those rare sights which one may 
be happy if he sees once in a lifetime, and which he will not 
be likely to forget while life lasts. I once had a tank full of 
them. The whole number I will not attempt to estimate ; 
but the water was clouded with their minute black forms, 
and I suppose that every square inch of water contained at 
least one hundred living sea-horses, each little head and neck 
imitating the free movements of a horse almost perfectly. I 
could scarcely reconcile myself to the loss of these unique 
pets, which was caused apparently by their inability to find 
their natural and proper food in the tank. Sea-horses, though 
such interesting occupants of the aquarium, are not good 
subjects for captivity. They rarely live long, and I believe 
there is no recorded example of their successful breeding 
when removed from their natural habitat. 

The nearest approach to resemblance to the sea-horse is 
found in the Pegasus volans, or flying-horse, a species of 
flying-fish, the head of which bears some likeness to the sea- 
horse. Its tail is also considerably prolonged, but it has a 
small caudal fin, and is otherwise more closely allied to ordi- 
nary fishes. 

The Toad-Fish {Batrachus taic). — If seen for the first 
time on the shore, it might puzzle the observer to guess 
whether this odd-looking creature was really a toad — " with 
variations " — or a fish. It is usually of an olive-color, 
mottled with green, and rather unsightly, as our illustra- 
tion shows. It is nearly all head, and its countenance 
is far from prepossessing ; its flesh, however, is said to be 
of a fine, delicate flavor. It is found in all our waters of 
the Atlantic coast from Maine to the Gulf of Mexico. The 
female of this fish is very careful of its eggs, depositing them 



SOME CURIOUS DENIZENS OF THE SEA. 113 

upon stones and sticks indeed, but cementing them securely 
one by one in regular order, so that they may not be washed 
away ; they are very large, as compared with the eggs of 
most fish, being about half the size of a pea ; they are semi- 




Toad-Fish (BatracJius tau). 

transparent, and are watched over by the parent until hatched. 
The curious name of tan (which is the Greek T) was given 
to it by Linnseus on account of a figure resembling that let- 
ter being formed on the head of a dried specimen by two 
elevated lines. 

The Sea-Raven {Hemitripterm Americanus) is another 
large-headed fish, but much more ornamental than the toad- 
fish or the angler. It has the appearance of having just 
come out of a fight, its fins looking jagged and torn and its 
face disfigured ; but, to compensate for these detrimental ap- 
pearances, its skin is of a rich, velvety texture, with blotches 
of white and brown here and there, reminding one strongly 
of some of those astonishing Japanese works of art in the 
shape of dragons ; and like these latter the sea-raven is prin- 
cipally mouth ! — like the " end-man " in a negro minstrel 
show. Though the written description of this fish would not 
mark it as an attractive object, in reality there is much of in- 
terest about it, and it forms a very welcome addition to the 
aquarium ; especially as it is quite hardy, and has not that 
" habit of dying " which is so annoying to the collector. 

The Angler (Lophius piscatorius). — This is a villainous- 
looking fish, about four feet long, with a large head and 
- monstrous mouth. For some reason it has been blessed with 



114 



THE OCEAN. 



a greater number of names than usually falls to the lot of 
fishes : in some localities it is called the " angler " or the " fish- 
ing frog," in others the " sea-devil," the " bellows," " goose," 
"monk-fish," etc., etc. Its habits are no better than its 
sobriquets ; it usually establishes itself in an ambuscade of 
mud or sand, and when the unwary little fish see the tempt- 
ing bit of shining membrane which hangs over its mouth 
from the tip of a curious long spine — like the " shiner " on 




The Sea-Kaven (Hemitriptt 



an angler's rod — the unsavory bait is successful, and the small 
fish proceed to their doom, as the great mouth opens and 
takes them in, remorselessly as a scoop-net. The great num- 
ber which they swallow often leads, however, to their own 
destruction ; for, though this marine angler is not himself 
desired for the table, fishermen often kill him for the sake of 
the numerous small fish which are found in his stomach. 
The apparatus with which he baits his victims is unique in 



SOME CURIOUS DEXIZENS OF THE SEA. 



115 



the piscatorial line. It is one of several long, movable spines, 
rising from the back of the head, arranged something on the 
plan of a hook and staple ; it is very curious, and well worth 
the trouble of dissecting a specimen, to see the beautiful adap- 
tation of Nature in this bony contrivance to help the ugly 
fellow to a dinner. Its locale is northerly, not being found 




V 



The Ang-ler {Lopliius piscatorms). 



farther south than the Capes of Delaware. It is frequently 
caught in New York waters in the early spring, but does 
not bear confinement well, and lives but a few days in the 
tank. 

The Hammek-iieaded Shark (Zygcena malleus). — The 
essential peculiarity of this member of the great family of 
sharks is the shape of its head, which plainly resembles the 
head of a hammer, while the rest of its body is similar to 
other sharks. The head is very much flattened, and from 
- either side project arm-like protuberances, upon the very ex- 



116 THE OCEAN. 

tremity of which the eyes are placed, so that, while one is 
directed to one point of the compass, the other necessarily 
looks in an exactly opposite direction. Thus this great marine 
crniser (it often grows to the length of ten feet) may be said 
to always have a " watch set," both on the " starboard " and 
" larboard," to protect his precious body. By a peculiar ar- 
rangement of the eyelids, however, he can much more easily 



V 




The Hanlmeb-headed Shake (Zygcena malleus). 

look up or down than in any other direction. It is vivipa- 
rous. I have never succeeded in placing it in the aquarium 
alive, though I have made thorough and repeated efforts to 
do so. Whether they die from fright, or whether the eyes, 
which are in such an exposed position, and are organically 
connected with the brain, get injured by contact with the 
can or vessel in which they are transported, it is difficult to 
tell ; but it is certain they do not " make an effort " to live 
after capture. They are sometimes found in Long Island 
Sound. Their range is from Brazil to Cape Cod, and except 
by accident they are not found north of the latter. 



SOME CUKIOUS DENIZENS OF THE SEA. 



117 



The Skate or Rat (genus Raid) contains many varieties, 
such as the clear-nose, the spotted, the whip, the prickly- 
tailed or sting ray, and the smooth skate (Rata lazvis). Speci- 
mens of all these kinds of rays may frequently be seen hung 
up in the markets to attract attention, which they do from 
the ludicrous, serio-comic facial expression. They are often 




The Under-sipe of Skate. 



taken in company with the cod, and are occasionally eaten 
by the buyers of cheap food, though their substance is chiefly 
gelatinous and the flavor disagreeable. Some observers have 
imagined that the under-side of the head bears a resemblance 
to the human countenance, but we think no one would care 



118 



THE OCEAN. 



to claim relationship with these nondescript-looking subjects. 
The whip-ray is so named from the use he makes of his very 
long, narrow tail, from five to six feet in length, which he 
slashes around in fine style when excited. The tail of the 
prickly or sting ray is beset with fine spines. The smooth 
skate or ray is distinguished by a nearly total absence of 
these spines. The eggs of the ray are of a curious shape — 
a sort of oblong, with four ribbon-like threads attached, one 




wmmi^mF 



Smooth bKATB (liaia Icevis). 



at each corner ; with these, aided by a self -generated mucus, 
the parent ray attaches the eggs to algse, stones, or rocks. 
These empty egg-sacs, after the fish are hatched, are often 
picked up on the sea-shore by persons who never imagine 
what was their original use ; in some localities they are 
known as sailors' purses. I have had skates 5 eggs hatched 
out in my aquarium, but the young lived only about two 
weeks. 

Hair -finned Argyreiose (Argyreiosiis capillar is). — 
This queer-looking little fish, faithfully delineated on the 
upper right-hand corner of the cover of this book, is some- 
times caught in the harbor of New York. It is of a lustrous, 
silvery white, varying its attractions with opaline tints and 
sometimes brilliant iridescent colors. In size it rarely ex- 
ceeds seven or eight inches, and it is oftener met with from 



SOME CURIOUS DENIZENS OF THE SEA. 



119 



two to three. Its shape conforms to no recognized figure. 
It is strange and even comical in appearance. Its facial 
angle descends with a slope of sixty degrees, until it arrives 
at an angle of about fifteen degrees to its first dorsal. It 
looks, in fact, as if its forehead had been chopped off with a 
broad-axe — a kind of distorted, beveled, bias, sloping face. 
The expression of the living fish, too, is as singular as its 
outside contour. It seems to have a sort of " Uriah Heep " 
meekness and humility, as if it were itself uncertain as to 
the correctness of its make-up — as to whether it were really 
finished. From its exceeding oddity it is a valuable acqui- 
sition to the aquarium. Its wafer-like thinness adds to its 
many peculiarities, and perhaps to its real lack of vitality : 
its life in captivity seems to hang by a thread; a sudden 
fright or surprise is sufficient to extinguish it. It may be 
found in considerable numbers in our waters in August ; it 
is best taken in a fike-net, on account of its extreme delicacy. 
Balloon-Fishes. — There are many varieties known by 




Ba.lloon-Fish (CMtornycterus geometricus). 



120 THE OCEAN. 

this name, distinguished as spotted, striped, spiny, etc. The 
colors also vary, but are often of a bright sea-green above, 
with olive-brown markings. They are usually more or less 
thoroughly furnished with prickles or spines over the body, 
mostly of a sharp, recurved, triangular, and compressed form. 
Their principal peculiarity consists in their ability to distend 
themselves like an inflated balloon ; this they will do when 




Balloon-Fish, oe Sea-Pokcttphste (Diodon 



taken from the water and rubbed with the hand, and they 
also assume the form to suit their own purposes when swim- 
ming. They are small, and may be taken with the hook in 
our harbor in July and August. This latitude is thought to 
be their northern limit. Their principal food appears to be 
soft young mollusca. There is some query among natural- 
ists whether the many so-called varieties of balloon-fish may 
not prove to be simply different stages of growth of the 
same creature. 

The carefully-drawn illustrations on the following pages, 
together with those contained in the foregoing chapters, will 



SOME CURIOUS DENIZENS OF THE SEA. 



121 



give the reader some idea of a few at least of those interest- 
ing salt-water animals which may be readily captured and 
successfully kept alive in large marine aquaria. 







122 



THE OCEAN. 











SOME CURIOUS DEXIZENS OF THE SEA. 



123 







124 



THE OCEAtf. 




Hawksbill oe Shell Turtle (Caretta inibricata). 



Turtles. — There are land and marine turtles, each ex- 
hibiting marked peculiarities ; but those which we call ma- 
rine come on the sandy shores to deposit their eggs, which 
are round, not oval. The hawksbill turtle {Caretta imbri- 
cata) is one of the most interesting and valuable ; it is from 

this variety that the fine 
" tortoise-shell " combs 
and jewelry are made. 
Some mercantile houses 
— like Messrs. Tiffany 
& Co., of New York- 
sell annually thousands 
of dollars' worth of it. 
The upper shell of the 
turtle grows in plates, 
the pattern being varied in the different kinds ; but in the 
hawksbill they are nearly heart-shaped, notched at the edges, 
the apexes pointing backward and overlapping each other. 
These shelly plates are reduced to any required shape by 

steaming and press- 
ure ; even small 
pieces are, by the 
heat and immense 
weight applied, so 
welded together as 
to appear homoge- 
neous, and thus any 
degree of thickness 
may be produced. 
The scales taken 
from the under car- 
apace of the turtle are used to make a kind of jewelry re- 
sembling amber. It is very scarce. The name of this turtle 
is derived from the hawk-like appearance of its horny beak. 
Turtles have no teeth. Some live on algae, others on 




Geeen Tuetle {Chelonia viridis). 



SOME CURIOUS DENIZENS OF THE SEA. 125 

mollusks and radiates. Their feet, particularly those of the 
hawksbilL, form perfect oars. They are sometimes met with 
hundreds of miles from land. I have caught this variety in 
the Bermuda Islands ; they are never found far north. 

The green turtle (Chelonia viridis), so dear to the hearts 
of our gormands, is well known for its edible qualities ; in 
commerce its shell is used principally for button-making. It 
is often taken when sleeping on the surface of the water, and 
great numbers are captured when they come on land for pur- 
poses of incubation. When hatched the instinct of the young 
leads them straight to the sea. 



CHAPTER X. 



BARNACLES. 



Evert one has heard of one class of barnacles, those which 
attach themselves to ships and thns hinder their progress 
through the water ; but few landsmen have ever had oppor- 
tunities of learning the habits of this animal from personal 

observation. Indeed, 
it is not rare to meet 
with persons who have 
no clear idea of whether 
they are animals or a 
mere aggregation of 
shells, as they may have 
seen them exhibited in 
some collection of curi- 
osities. And this fact 
recalls another, which 
results from the prece- 
dence and importance 
given to mere literary 

Specimens of the Group of Cirripeds. — 1 and 2. Coro- -. . , _/» 

nula diadema (sessile). 3. Conchoderma aurita education, apart irOUl 
(pedunculated). . , . • i t 

the practical and scien- 
tific, namely : that there are yet many otherwise intelligent 
people who think that shells are a production of the ocean, 
without once imagining that they are the mere cast-off cov- 
ering of some variety of mollusca. The so-called " art of 
conchology" proves this: the art of arranging, classifying, 




BARNACLES. 127 

and indexing mere shells, as still taught in some schools, has 
naturally fostered this unscientific error. 

The scientific name of the barnacles, Cirrhopoda or Cir- 
ripedia, means curled or hair-like feet (cirrus, a curl or lock 
of hair) ; and if they had occasion for feet, it is the cirri 
with which they are furnished that they would use for pedes- 
trian purposes. 

The name of Anatifera Icevis was originally given to the 
ship-barnacle out of regard for an old legend which attrib- 
uted the production of the barnacle to the bernical or solan 
goose, a theory so preposterous that it seems incredible how 
it should have been believed for hundreds of years, and that 
witnesses presumed to be trustworthy should have minutely 
described, and even illustrated by drawings, the whole pro- 
cess of the evolution of the sea-fowl from the barnacles at- 
tached to trunks of trees, which had first been carried out 
to sea and then drifted ashore on the coast of Scotland ; for 
it is in that land of " second-sight " that the tradition origi- 
nated. The historian Hector Boece in 1490 declared that he 
saw the larvae of the barnacle "formed into perfect foules ; " 
and this was indorsed by the parson of the parish. One 
hundred and fifty years later (1636) Master Gerard gives 
another circumstantial account of the same mysterious evo- 
lution ; and it would probably not be difficult to-day to find 
in the more secluded portions of the coast old fishermen who 
would aver that they " had heard the cry of the young goose 
out of the barnacles ! " 

In a strictly scientific classification, the Oirrhopoda should 
be placed between the annelids and the Crustacea, while 
judged by the shell alone they would be ranked with the 
mollusks. The shell is of the multivalve species, though 
bivalve in appearance, each side being composed of two 
plates connected by a long central plate which joins the 
two halves at the back. Some varieties are sessile, that 

is, seated or attached closely to the object to which they ad- 

7 



128 THE OCEAN. 

here; but they are mostly pedunculated, that is, connected 
by a cylindrical, flexible, annnlar stalk, of a fleshy nature, 
varying in color from a bright orange to a purplish red. 
This formation will be better understood perhaps if we de- 
scribe the transformation which takes place in the young bar- 
nacle before it becomes fixed in its adult and sedentary life. 
These changes are almost as wonderful as those imaginary 
ones described by the old chroniclers. 

Like some other marine existences of a low order, the 
young of the barnacle is, in its freedom of movement and 
some other particulars, a more highly-developed being thau 
its parent. In its earliest form it is furnished with a broad 
carapace or shelly covering, two pairs of antennse, three pairs 
of legs, which are branched, jointed, and supplied with bris- 
tles, and a forked tail ; it has also a single eye, cyclops-f ashion, 
in the centre of its anterior portion. It moults, casting off 
its shelly skin three times before attaining to adult size ; and 
at each moult great changes in form may be observed. At 
the third the carapace has changed into a bivalve shell ; the 
head with its antennae is greatly enlarged ; the one eye has 
disappeared, and two much larger ones take its place. Now 
comes the most curious part of its history. Just as it appears 
to be fitted out and equipped for enjoying a free existence, 
its fate compels it to surrender all these advantages, and it 
sets out to find a suitable place to complete its last permanent 
metamorphosis. It finds a floating piece of timber, meets 
with a ship becalmed, encounters a whale lying at ease, or 
perhaps a turtle whose back seems fitted for the accommoda- 
tion of parasites : on some hard, firm substance it affixes 
itself. 

One would think that in the ever-moving waters it would 
be no easy thing for one animal to attach itself to another, or 
to fix itself upon a rock, or any substance continually subject 
to the buffeting of the waves. The secret of it lies in the 
capacity of the creature to produce that wonderful marine 



BARNACLES. 129 

cement, insoluble in water, such as some of the annelids (de- 
scribed in a former chapter) use, and which enables the young 
barnacle to attach itself to whatever object it selects. This 
is a kind of organic gum secreted in the anterior antennae, 
which the animal pours out when it seeks to attach itself, and 
which hardens immediately ; and with this it chains itself in 
perpetuity, a self -condemned galley-slave for the remainder 
of its life. But further changes occur : being now adherent 
by the fore-part of the head, it throws off its bivalve shell and 
discards its eyes, which henceforth would be of no use to it ; 
the head lengthens out ; the new shells are five-plated ; the 
legs are transformed into cirri or curling tendrils, which now 
operate in the reverse direction, and are used solely for the 
purpose of creating currents to draw infusorial food toward 
the mouth, which is henceforth its sole employment. Surely 
these changes, which science has verified, are as wonderful 
as any which ignorance could invent, aided by superstition 
and self-indulgence ; for it so happens that the old legend of 
the barnacle-goose being hatched from barnacles was seized 
upon by the Romish clergy as a pretext for eating these fowls 
on fast-days — the reason being given that " they were not 
produced from flesh of any kind, and therefore might be 
eaten as fish." 

Barnacles may be of any size, from a pin's head to two or 
three inches across, and possibly even larger. Their cirri 
present a very beautiful appearance when the creature waves 
them forth. 

The most common and beautiful are the acorn-barnacles 
(genus Balanus, a Greek and Latin word meaning acorn), 
so called from their resemblance to the seed of the oak. 
They are often found on the rocks of the sea-shore, and 
sometimes reveal themselves in a very uncomfortable manner 
to the bather who attempts to walk barefoot over a colony 
of them upon a rocky shore, or to clamber over their sharp- 
edged domiciles by the aid of his hands. Those white coni- 



130 



THE OCEAN. 



cal objects, which look so innocent, are almost as sharp as 
razors ; and if yon have far to travel over them, yonr feet 
will be cross-hatched like an engraver's plate. This variety 
are very apt to attach themselves to the backs of shell-fish, 
crabs, and even whales. Their shells are composed of six 
instead of five plates ; their general form being nearly circu- 
lar. These creatures will burrow two or three inches through 
the skin into the blubber of a whale. Sometimes they are 
found in tide-pools in the rocks, and when the tide is low 
they present a very unattractive 
appearance, remaining closed up 
without signs of life, looking 
like a mere incrustation upon 
the rock ; but when the tide re- 
turns they very promptly re- 
gain their energy, and soon from 
every tiny shell a graceful feath- 
ery hand is stretched forth like a 
little fishing-net, elegantly wav- 
ing in the right direction to pro- 
pel animalcula to their digestive 
apparatus. 

Almost every kind of marine 
creature has its own peculiar 
mode of foraging. Some throw 
out fishing-lines like some forms 
of medusae ; some rush after their prey and seize it by sud- 
den violence ; others lie in ambush^ and try to conceal their 
presence, like the octopus ; and thus the barnacle throws out 
its casting-net, drawing it in and contracting it at intervals. 
This net is formed of a group of fine, delicate tendrils, called 
the cirri, each double at the extremity ; they are jointed so 
as to make an exquisitely-shaped curve, and at each joint are 
long, stiff hairs. As these cirri are quite numerous, and the 
hairs upon them stand out firmly when in action in a trans- 




Goose-Barnacles attached to a 

BOTLLE. 



BARNACLES. 131 

verse position to the cirri, the whole apparatus forms a com- 
plete network, so fine that the most diminutive animalcula 
would be held within its toils. The cirri themselves are of 
a horn j nature, though rendered thoroughly flexible by 
ample jointing. 

I have kept barnacles for many years. During their cap- 
tivity they do not seem to have suffered from any cause, as 
the fact of their growth proves, some of them having in- 
creased to double their original size. I do not know the 
limitations of their growth, but certainly it is quite rapid 
even in confinement. Some shells in my possession, which 
I use for flower-vases, stand fully four and a half inches in 
height ; and my enthusiastic aquarian friend, Mr. Roberts, 
assures me that he has seen them used very commonly at 
"Wood's Hole, Massachusetts, for inkstands. I have always 
noticed, however, that the small ones are the most active, the 
larger ones remaining closed and quiet the greater part of the 
time. But sometimes, when they have been entirely passive for 
a considerable time, I can coax them to disclose their feathery 
hands by dropping a little clam or oyster juice into the water 
near them. Then, where a moment before all was perfect 
calm, the surrounding water will be full of fairy-like fingers, 
beckoning their food toward them ; and so rapidly is this 
peculiar motion made, that a very perceptible current in the 
water is produced, which draws every little floating particle 
toward their open mouths. 

Three or four times, during many years of the closest ob- 
servation of these interesting animals, I have noticed a curi- 
ous demonstration going on between the members of the 
group — a queer kind of hand-shaking, or some occult com- 
munication, which would no doubt be exceedingly interest- 
ing if they would explain to us its meaning, but which at 
present is not perfectly understood by naturalists. In this 
sudden awakening of the social instinct the barnacle does not 
use its regular net-like hand, but puts forth a single long 



132 



THE OCEAN. 



tentacle, reaching over and among a dozen perhaps of its 
neighbors, extending a distance of some inches. Sometimes 
it penetrates with this into the openings of the other shells, 
as if it wonld inform itself as to their continued existence or 
condition of health ; but, having finished its inspection, it 
quickly retracts and hides* within its own shell. 

The barnacle sheds its coat at intervals like the crab ; but 
much more frequently does it discard the thin, transparent 
epidermis which covers the beautifully-barbed fingers. This 
it throws off as neatly and completely as one could remove a 
nicely-fitting glove from the hand. These cast-off " barnacle- 
gloves," with their minute hair-like barbs, form an interest- 
ing object for examination under the microscope. 




Young ok Eree-swimming Cirrhopod. 



Adult Cirrhopod, with one half its Shell 
removed, showing a.nlaial at rest. 



GHAPTEE XI. 

STAR-FISHES. 

One of the most common objects to be met with at New- 
port, ISTahant, or almost any point along the Massachusetts 
coast, are the so-called " star-fishes," though scientifically 
speaking they are no more fishes than is a rabbit or a bird ; 




Star-Fish on a Eock. 



yet, for convenience and to save circumlocution, we may 
adopt the popular name in speaking of them. At low tide 
these curious " stars " may be seen by thousands, sometimes 
clinging to the rocks, sometimes on the gravelly bottom, or 
perhaps attached to the sea-weeds. 



134 THE OCEAN. 

Some of those which I have had were colored a dark, 
rich, velvety brown ; others are of a reddish cast, and some 
again of a chocolate hue. But, however tinted, to the natu- 
ralist who looks beyond the complexion they are always at- 
tractive, and in their structure and habits favorite subjects 
for examination. The late Prof. Agassiz seemed particu- 
larly fond of watching and investigating the proceedings of 
these animals, and spent, I may safely say, years of labor 
working up his exceedingly careful and valuable account of 
the great sub-kingdom of the radiates, to which the stars 
belong. 1 In the large folio edition of his " Contributions " 
may be found numerous and most elaborate drawings show- 
ing the internal organism of these and other marine animals. 
I believe he was just finishing the work referred to at the 
time of his lamented death. 

The fact that an animal is common by no means implies 
that it or its habits are well known ; the fact is often the 
very reverse. If an object is brought from &ve thousand 
miles over sea, no matter how intrinsically worthless, it can 
generally secure admirers ; while some of the most wonder- 
ful productions of Nature often lie unnoticed at our very 
doors. Until lately this might be truly affirmed of the com- 
mon " five-fingered jack," as seamen call the star-fish. One 
reason for our ignorance of this class of marine animals is 
found in the fact that, previous to the general introduction 
of aquaria, naturalists could rarely get anything but the 
skeletons of these creatures to examine — a very inadequate 
means of learning the habits of the living animal. 

If we understand the principle upon which the five-rayed 
star-fish is constructed, we shall readily perceive that all the 
other varieties are simply modifications of this. The first 
thing to be learned about this animal is that it has two dis- 
tinct sides — an upper, slightly convex, and an under or oral 

1 See " Contributions to the Natural History of the United States," by Loui3 
Agassiz, vol. iv 



STAR-FISHES. 



135 



side. The upper is rough and tuberculous ; the under is 
soft, and contains all the vital and locomotory organs. It is 
divided by five furrows, all leading to the mouth, which of 




Star-Fisu, showing Process of reproducing- its Four Lost Arms. 

course connects with the digestive cavity ; in this it some- 
what resembles the actiniae, but it differs wholly from them 
in the relative powers of expansion and contraction, as well 
as locomotion. 

The rays of the star-fish are usually on the same plane, 
but the animal has the power of raising them so as to pro- 
gress over obstructions which may be in its way. It can walk 
on a level or ascend elevations with apparently the same ease. 
But it is not the rays themselves which perform the work of 
locomotion. Its organs of motion we shall presently de- 
scribe ; but, in the first place, let us see how this star-fish 



136 THE OCEAN. 

looks when first taken from the water. Almost immediately 
the soft nnder parts seem to shrink away, and nothing sub- 
stantial remains bnt the upper surface; this is perforated 
with pores, through which the water enters to all parts of 
the body by specific channels ; it is a sort of tidal flow of 
water — alternate absorption and rejection — which occasions 
the motions of the rays. Upon the surface of the body, near 
but not precisely at the centre, is a small opening through 
which water is admitted to a strong, elastic tube, which tube 
is encircled by a series of rings. Now let us turn our star 
over, and we shall see that this tube opens into a ring about 
the mouth, while similar tubes stretch the length and breadth 
of the arms. From the cross-tubes fibres extend, terminat- 
ing in disks, which are also continued entirely through the 
animal into the furrows before mentioned ; these are the true 
organs of locomotion, and they are called ambulacra. The 
mode of progression is something like that of a ship drag- 
ging its anchor ; thus a portion of these ambulacra are made 
fast by suction, while the remainder of the body is drawn 
forward, when the first are relaxed, and then the process is 
repeated. The pace is slow, and the description would make 
it appear clumsy ; but the reverse is true, as the motion has 
a certain degree of ease and grace, approaching to elegance, 
strictly following all the indentations of the ground. That 
when walking they perceive obstructions is evident, for they 
immediately prepare to surmount them. How much they 
can really see with their five eyes is doubtful, for their organ- 
ization is exceedingly low ; but as they are placed one at the 
end of each ray, in a sort of " round-robin " fashion, no par- 
ticular ray can put on airs and pretend to take precedence 
of the others ; and our star may travel with either of the 
five rays in advance. These eyes are the bright-red spots 
near the tip of each arm or ray. 

In addition to the digestive and locomotory systems, the 
stars have a heart, situated near the opening on the back, 



STAR-FISHES. 137 

which is supplied with a set of blood-vessels. There are also 
a respiratory apparatus and a nervous system ; but the latter 
must be of a very low order, judging from the capacity this 
animal enjoys of enduring vivisection apparently without 
pain. 

One of the interesting traits about this lowly-organized 
creature is the care it bestows upon, and the evident affec- 
tion it feels for, its eggs. These are contained in pouches 
situated at the broad base of the rays ; and, when emitted 
through an opening there provided, far from abandoning 
them, as many fishes do their young, these stars gather them 
together, bending their arms downward, and at the same 
time arching the • central part of their body, thus forming a 
sort of protection for them — absolutely "brooding" them, 
chicken-fashion. If the eggs are accidentally scattered, they 
will take great pains to collect them again ; the experiment 
has been tried over and over again in the aquarium, and they 
will travel the whole distance of the tank till they find and 
recover them. 

If in the course of their search, say in crossing the tank, 
they encounter a piece of rock, they do not go round it ; but, 
elevating one ray, they gradually draw the others after it, 
and by slow degrees rise over and make the opposite down- 
ward movements with as little apparent effort as if walking 
upon a plane. When they take the whim of ascending the 
smooth glass sides of the aquarium, it is all the same ; but in 
descending they sometimes allow themselves to drop, by way 
of variety. 

Their mode of reproduction is not limited to eggs. They 
have the strange capacity and frequent habit of detaching 
one or more of their rays, when each of these cast-off mem- 
bers becomes in time a perfect star. I have seen this oper- 
ation performed many times, almost incredible as the state- 
ment seems to those unfamiliar with the vagaries of the 
zoophytes and radiates. For instance, an arm or ray would 



138 THE OCEAN. 

perhaps be accidentally broken off close up to its point of 
junction with the central portion of the body. The animal, 
instead of .appearing to be disturbed or annoyed, as it would 
be at the loss of its eggs, appears to mind the disappearance 
no more than if it were a cast-off garment, and goes about as 
happy with its remaining rays as if the whole had remained 
intact. Perhaps if we could replace a lost arm as easily as 
our star, we should be nearly as indifferent to such a loss ; for 
what do we see next % Only a little protuberance where the 
lost arm was separated. But look again in a week, and we 
shall see some little suckers or ambulacra projecting; the 
parts by degrees enlarge, and at the end of a few weeks a 
somewhat smaller but apparently quite perfect arm takes 
the place of the lost member ! Its spines, water-tubes, ten- 
tacles, pedicellarise, etc., are all in perfect working order, and 
its normal functions are fulfilled with all the precision of the 
elder rays. It is not, however, quite equal to the original ; 
besides being smaller, it is of a more delicate texture, and its 
color of a lighter shade. It is very interesting to watch this 
extraordinary effort of Nature in the development of the 
new member. The last one I had in my collection was just 
fifteen weeks in producing a new, full-grown arm. 

Star-fishes found upon the shore often appear to be quite 
dead when they are really alive ; they are the opossums of 
the sea. Take up one of these fellows who is lying perfectly 
still, and put him into fresh sea-water, and he will very likely 
soon be traveling about as well as ever. However, as the 
dead and living, when left stranded by the tide, present so 
nearly the same appearance, it may be well to have some test 
by which to make sure of their true condition. There are 
two modes of ascertaining this with a reasonable degree of 
"certainty. If, on taking up a star-fish, he hangs loose and 
limp, he is dead ; but, however dead he may look, if on touch- 
ing it there is a firmness and consistency in the substance, he 
is only " playing 'possum,' ' and will revive in the water. 



STAR-FISHES. 139 

The other mode of trial is to lay our starry friend on his 
back, when if he is alive you will soon see a number of semi- 
transparent globular objects beginning to move, reaching this 
way and that, as if feeling for something ; these are the loco- 
motory organs or ambulacra, seeking to regain their normal 
position. If there is no movement of these, you may con- 
clude that he is an extinguished star. 

The main stomach belonging to this animal appears too 
small to contain the quantity of food which he often devours, 
and would indeed prove so were it not supplemented by sev- 
eral additional stomachs which occupy the several rays through 
nearly their whole length. These supplementary stomachs 
are called ececa, and explain in some measure the voracity of 
these animals. 

The small whelk, Buccinum obsoletum, is a favorite dish 
with the star-fishes ; they eat millions of them. Almost 
every one knows this little mollusk by sight ; it is a small, 
-black-shelled, snail-like object, usually about five-eighths of 
an inch long, and may be seen on almost every stretch of 
shore on our coasts. I have seen a star-fish with no less than 
six of these in its mouth at once. 

In attacking small mollusks, star-fishes often envelop the 
victim completely with their arms till they get him snugly 
fixed in the mouth, when they relax their rays and proceed 
to suck out the fleshy substance at their leisure. This is all 
quite comprehensible ; but not so easily understood is the 
mode by which they succeed in destroying large bivalves 
like oysters ; yet they do this to such an extent as to prove 
disastrous enemies of the oystermen. Clams and mussels also 
suffer literally " at their hands." The fact was long recog- 
nized before the mode of attack was comprehended. "Within 
the jurisdiction of the Admiralty Court of England there 
was, and may be still, an old law affixing a severe penalty 
upon those who " do not tread under their feet, or throw 
upon the shore, a fish called a five-finger, resembling a spur- 



140 THE OCEAN. 

rowel, because that the fish gets into the oyster when they 
gape open and suck them out." It would have been well if 
our own oystermen had observed this sensible law. Instead 
of this, many of them, and also fishermen, have been in the 
habit, when star-fish were brought up by nets, rakes, or 
dredges, of tying them up in bundles, and drawing the cord 
tight enough to cut into the whole pile ; and, supposing that 
thus they have certainly made an end of their worthless lives, 
they throw them overboard into the water again, not realizing 
that each of the pieces into which they were divided would in 
time become a perfect star-fish, thereby increasing their own 
and other poor fishermen's trouble — five times possibly. 
Where they had at first say one thousand enemies for their 
oyster-beds, they, through ignorance, have increased them 
to five thousand ! 

The manner in which the star-fish attacks the oyster is 
unique in its way. Instead of inserting a ray and thus draw- 
ing the oyster out, as was formerly believed, a closer obser- 
vation has evolved the fact that the star has a trick of par- 
tially protruding or pouting out its own stomach, and that it 
actually thrusts or insinuates this between the edges of the 
bivalve shell, and by the power of suction destroys the oyster, 
consuming it utterly in spite of its strongly-protected condi- 
tion. The query has always been, why the oyster did not 
close its shell and entrap the star ? One reason may be, that 
the oyster is not sufficiently sensitive to resist the first ap- 
proach of its enemy, and the star is, as we know, very insen- 
sible to pain ; so that a slight vantage gained at the outset by 
the assailant would go far toward accounting for the easy 
victory which it gains over the sluggish bivalve. If any one 
has ever watched the careful way in which a star advances and 
softly crawls over his prospective dinner, the mystery would 
not appear insoluble, even though the victim was protected 
by an apparently invulnerable calcareous shell. 



CHAPTEE XII 

EGHIFOIDS AND SEA-GUGUMBE 

The sea-egg or sea-urchin may be considered the repre- 
sentative animal of the Echinodermata, of which star-fish and 
others are less pronounced members. The word echinoid 
means possessing an exterior resembling a hedge-hog. It is 
from structural resemblances, and not from shape or super- 
ficial likeness, that marine animals are classed. Though 




Sea-Egg or Sea-Uechix (Toxopneustes drobachiensis). 

sometimes the long, hard names have a tendency to repel the 
reader, yet when understood they are usually very expres- 
sive ; indeed, they often suggest a whole history, sometimes 
a romance, or the lifetime devotion of friends. A few in- 
stances occur in which scientific names have been given 
showing the meanness of spite or envy; even the great 
Linnaeus condescended to this when he named a valueless, 
offensive weed after Buffon. Could the origin of all the 



142 



THE OCEAN. 



scientific names now nsed in the various branches of natural 
science be written out, it would form a most entertaining 
book. 

But to return to our sea-urchin. This curious animal is 
of a spherical form, and covered all over with long, beauti- 
fully-shaped spines. Its shell or covering resembles a lime- 
stone network, but is in fact formed of separate plates, so 
neatly joined that the sutures cannot be perceived from the 
outside ; but, on examining the skeleton from the inside, the 
points of connection may be traced. As the urchin does not 
cast its shell, the question naturally arises, " How can the 
creature grow, enveloped as it is in this inflexible substance ? " 
The answer reveals a wonderful contrivance which admirably 
meets this difficulty. Over the shell we find a very delicate 
membrane, vital, as its function proves ; this is insinuated be- 
tween the jointed plate-armor 
of the carapace, and steadily 
deposits there a secretion of 
calcareous matter, so that each 
separate plate is simultaneous- 
ly increased in size ; and thus 
the animal is enabled to ex- 
pand until the adult size is 
attained, when the secretion 
ceases. As usually found, dead 
on the shore, the urchin is de- 
void of spines, and presents 
something the appearance of 
a melon, the surface being marked with ten zones or divisions, 
five being larger than the alternating moiety. 

The urchin's relationship to the star-fish may be illustrated 
by supposing that we bring all the five points of the star to- 
gether, filling up the interstices with a similar substance : we 
have then a complete urchin, minus the spines. Or, take the 
peel whole off of an orange, divide it into fifths, and bring the 




Sea-Ukchin, ok Sea-Egg.— Top view, 
spines removed. 



ECHINOIDS AND SEA-CUCUMBER. 143 

points up together, sticking needles in to simulate the spines, 
and we have an urchin, at least in shape. 

Like almost every known animal, this echinoid is much 
handsomer when alive and sailing about. The color is usually 
reddish brown or black. I have secured specimens of them 
in Bermuda with long, tapering spines a foot in length, and 
standing boldly out " like the quills upon a fretful porcu- 
pine ; " the body or ball part not being larger than a hen's- 
egg. Indeed, when these spines drop off and leave the shelly 
covering exposed, they very much resemble an egg, which 
accounts for their secondary name of sea-egg. 

When alive they are very shy, concealing themselves in 
holes and crevices of the rocks. They even go beyond this, 
and attempt complete seclusion from observation by covering 
themselves with bits of sea-weed, sand, or anything they can 
get hold of for the purpose, by means of their tentacles and 
pedicellarise, so that an inexperienced person would scarcely 
recognize them. 

The upper portion of this circular animal — what we 
might call its " north pole," where the ribbed zones unite 
like the degrees of longitude in a map of the world — is called 
the " dorsal area." On the under-side, or " south pole," the 
mouth is situated. This circular orifice is furnished with 
live strong, hard, sharp teeth, resembling flat conical wedges, 
with numberless perforations, through which pass long, slen- 
der, delicate tentacles, terminating in suckers ; these are scat- 
tered all over the surface of the investing membrane, be- 
tween the spines. In addition to these, the urchin is pro- 
vided with another set of weapons called jpedieellarice, each 
consisting of a long stem on the end of which is a kind of 
knob, capable of opening like a, miniature -trident or three- 
tined fork, the tines being concentrically arranged; when 
closed, these little prongs fit into each other like nippers. 
Curiously enough, these' pedicellarise were for long mistaken 
by naturalists for parasites upon the body of the urchin. 



144 



THE OCEAN. 



These animals are voracious vegetarians, eating off large 
fronds of the sea-lettuce and other plants, and cleaning a tank 
of every vestige of vegetation in a very short time. Their 
motion in swimming is slow, and when walking on the side 
of a glass tank, which they do with perfect ease on their long, 
slender legs (which are terminated by cup-shaped disks, con- 
structed on the same principle as a surgeon's cupping-instru- 
ment), and aided by the spines, they are certainly an attrac- 
tive sight, especially when all the spines and numerous pedi- 
cellarise are fully distended. To the cursory observer they 
look no more capable of ascending a smooth surface like glass 
than a chestnut-bur does of walking up the side of a house. 

Eeliinarachnius, the sand-dollar or sand-cake, is a modest 
relation of the urchin. Instead of being spherical, it is flat, 




Keyhole-Urchin (Mellitcfquinquefora, Agassiz). 



and really looks when at rest something like a circular cake 
of sand, about the size of the old silver dollar — perhaps a 
little larger than the new issue ! It is a reddish-brown color, 
and covered all over with short, hair-like points, resembling 
a piece of light velvet when viewed across its convex surface. 
These expand near the dorsal centre or summit into a rosette- 



ECHINOIDS AND SEA-CUCUMBER. 



145 




Cake-Urchin (Echinarachinus) : o, mouth ; 
e e, ambulacra ; c m, ambulacral ramifica- 
tions; w w, interambulacra (Agassiz). 



like disk ; when the fine, spiny projections are removed, the 
ribbed divisions of the sur- 
face are found to be identi- 
cal in general direction with 
those of the spherical broth- 
erhood. Mrs. Elizabeth C. 
Agassiz, in her " Sea-side 
Studies," says that this flat 
variety of the echinoids be- 
longs to the family known 
as the shield-like sea-urchin 
(clypeastroids). When speak- 
ing of the teeth of the JEchi- 
noder?nata, we should have 

mentioned that they have a concentric motion — all converg- 
ing toward the centre, never moving up and down as with 
■vertebrate animals. These sand-cakes are found all along the 
Massachusetts shore, but do not extend to Long Island Sound 
or New York Bay. 

Ojphiurans are related to the star-fish, and their rays or 
arms are iive in number, like the common variety, Uraster 
rubens, but totally unlike in general appearance. In the com- 
mon five -fingered stars, 
the broad bases of the 
rays form the central body 
of the animal; but with 
the ophiurans the arms 
are long and slender, 
nearly cylindrical in form, 
being slightly narrowed 
toward the extremities ; 
they appear to be attached 
to, rather than to be grow- 
ing out of, the small disk- 
like body. The SpinOUS Sebpent, ok Beittle Stae-Fish (Ophiopolis). 




146 THE OCEAN. 

projections, which fringe the edges of these long arms, sug- 
gest the idea of five centipedes placed at regular intervals 
around the disk, and wriggling about with the intention of 
twisting themselves off if they can ; and indeed they often 
do succeed, or rather the creature throws them off if much 
frightened, or, to escape capture, it will sacrifice one to save 
the rest. Like some others of this class, it has " suicidal ten- 
dencies." It is a very free swimmer, its centipedal arms 
forming excellent oars. 

Their mode of progression on the shore or over rocks is 
like that of the common star, by putting forward one arm 
first, and then drawing the others after it. Their tentacles 
do not terminate with a sucking-disk, as in the star-fishes and 
urchins, but are covered with small tubercles. Neither have 
they teeth like the sea-urchin, but as a substitute they are 
provided with a bony plate at that end of the ambulacra con- 
necting with the oral orifice. The ovaries are situated in 
the arms near their junction with the disk; small slits or 
openings may be observed leading to these pouches, and 
through them the eggs make their egress. 

I have never succeeded well with the'ophiurans in con- 
finement. When taken in the net or dredge, they will throw 
off one, two, or even three, of their rays, so that it is al- 
most impossible to secure perfect specimens to be deposited 
in the glass homes we should be so happy to provide for 
them ; and the consequence is, that these self -mutilated ani- 
mals rarely survive long in the tank. However it may be in 
their native habitats, they do not readily reproduce their re- 
jected limbs in captivity. 

There is one curious variety of the ophiuran family, 
found like the above in Massachusetts Bay, which has a habit 
of standing on the points of its rays — " tiptoe," as it were. 
In this position, with its tentacles hanging down, it presents 
the appearance of a basket ; and hence " basket-fish " is its 
popular name. 



ECHINOIDS AND SEA-CUCUMBER. 147 

The Holothuria or sea-cucumber is a curious cylindrical 
animal, varying in length from an inch to between three and 
four feet. There are several varieties of sea- cucumbers to 
be found on our shores, but the edible kind are most nu- 




Basket-Fish (Astrophyton Agassizii). 



merous in the China seas. They inhabit deep water, but 
when found near the shore are usually partly imbedded in 
the muddy bottoms. Their outside covering is a tough, 
leathery skin, plentifully studded with short, hairy spines. 
The mouth, a circular opening at one end, is furnished with 
a wreath of beautiful plume-like appendages, which are ex- 
tended at will for the purpose of grasping food and convey- 
ing it to the mouth; but, the food being brought within 
reach, only one of these tentacula is occupied in actually in- 
troducing it within the orifice, while the others remain pas- 
sive, and appear to be waiting their turn to do the same ser- 
vice. Mrs. Agassiz has likened this group of tentacula in 



148 



THE OCEAN. 



tlie sea-cucumber to some of the delicate sea-weeds, for their 
fineness of structure and the richness of their colors. 

' This animal has the ambulacral suckers like the star- 
fishes and sea-urchins ; also the madreporic body, which is sit- 
uated near the mouth, between two of the ambulacra, and op- 
posite the fifth or odd one. Some of the species are also fur- 
nished with small hooks or fangs with which they can attach 







Sea-Cucumber {Solothuria lutea). 



themselves to the fronds of alg9B, but their hold is not very 
strong. It has, like some other members of the JEchinoder- 
mata, the capacity of fission, and will sometimes begin to 
contract in the centre, and finally divide itself, two perfect 
Holothuria developing from the one. Still more remarkable 
is the capacity of the creature to empty itself of nearly all 
its internal organs, and after an inconsiderable period to re- 
produce them and live on as comfortably as ever. 

In the Bermuda Islands these animals grow to a very 
large size, and are mostly of a brown or nearly black color. 
They are so numerous there as to prove rather a nuisance to 



ECHINOIDS AND SEA-CUCUMBER. 149 

pedestrians on some portions of the shore. I have taken 
them weighing as much as twelve pounds and nearly two 
feet in length. They are* sometimes eaten by the natives, 
but to my fancy a good appetite would be required to really 
enjoy the dish. Some varieties secrete an acrid and corrosive 
fluid, which lubricates the whole body ; and these cannot be 
handled with impunity, as the contact produces a very disa- 
greeable burning and tingling sensation. If it were not for 
their dark color, the name of " sea-cucumber " would be very 
much more appropriate to them, as at a little distance they 
bear considerable resemblance to that vegetable. 



CHAPTEE XIII. 

HYDROIDS—MEDUSJE— JELLY-FISH— PHYSALIA OR 
PORTUGUESE MAN-OF-WAR. 

The class of marine existences known in science as hy- 
droids or animals which are developed from them, embraces 
a very large class of objects and includes many species which 
are little known even in their perfect and adult state ; while 
their transformations and alternations in the course of repro- 




1. Early stage of Jelly-Fish (Aurelia). 2. Strobila, more advanced stage, 
to be detached and form the adult (Ephyra, Agassiz). 




duction and growth are so anomalous as to have long baffled 
the investigations of naturalists. Their nature is now better 
known, but we suspect there is much yet to be learned in 
regard to them. 

The hydroids are compound animals which produce in- 
dividuals ; and these individuals in their turn produce com- 



HYDROIDS, MEDUSAE, ETC. 151 

pound progeny. Some of them look like shrubs, young 
trees, or bushes, and only minute investigation proves them 
to possess vitality, and to be in fact communities of indi- 
viduals arranged in a plant-like form ; from these may be 
hatched a single jelly-fish or medusa, and from the medusa 
will eventually be produced a group of hydroids. 

The hydroids belong to the division Acalephce, and are 
as a general thing semi-transparent, fragile, and often very 
graceful objects, yet not always so harmless as they look. In 




Adult Sun-Fish, or Jelly-Fish (Aurelia, Agassiz). 

this division are included the large families of the campa- 
nularians, sertularians, tubularians, and others. The variety 
of their forms is almost infinite. Some float through the 
seas like a branch covered with bell-shaped flowers ; others 
appear like groups of disks or cups ; some are vase-shaped, 
some oval ; some are iridescent spheres ; some form gar- 
lands, or trail along like endless fringes ; while possibly the 
most common and best known form is the umbrella shape, 
of which the beautiful haired medusa is the finest represent- 
ative, Q 



152 THE OCEAN. 

When the hydroid is in the compound state, the plant- 
like community is enveloped with a thin covering of a horny 
nature, which also covers the hell-like cellules in which the 
progeny are developed. When the latter arrive at a suffi- 
cient degree of maturity, this covering bursts and allows the 
escape of the young medusae. These productive cellules are 
always developed in the angles formed by the junction of 
the branches with the stem of these shrub-like animals. 

The Oceania, a very pretty form of jelly-fish produced 
from hydroids, begins its free life as an almost invisible, 
shapeless little disk. Two minute tentacles may be perceived 
on close inspection, and two fine tubes forming part of its 
digestive system. Soon the shape becomes more distinctly 
spherical, and a feeding-tube depends from it ; next numer- 
ous tentacles are added, " eye-specks " adorn its circumfer- 
ence, and, finally, some thirty-six long, fringe-like tentacles 
are furnished and Miss Oceania sails forth as unlike to her 
parent as a parasol is to a tree, and will in her turn produce 
descendants utterly unlike herself, but with the characteristic 
features of their hydroid ancestors. 

Another very beautiful variety is the "ruined tower," 
Turris neglecta. This animal is dome-shaped, with a crest 
resembling a bell of red glass, which bears four rays in the 
form of a cross ; from the edge of the bell depends a beauti- 
ful white fringe. It is a most attractive object when seen 
fully expanded. 

The hydro-medusae are so slight in their structure that 
they cannot be submerged, though they are often thrown 
upon the shore, and in that manner suffer shipwreck. When 
taken intact they will at first weigh surprisingly heavy for 
such transparent-looking objects, yet the weight consists al- 
most wholly of nearly pure sea-water ; but when the animal 
is stranded and dies, this water all escapes, and nothing is 
left upon the sand but a filmy, gelatinous skin, scarcely ob- 
servable, or looking like flakes of dried varnish in the sun. 



HYDROIDS, MEDUSA, ETC. 



153 



Some of them when distended with water will weigh ten or 
twelve pounds; others are so small that a few ounces of 
water will contain thousands. Some of these animals have 
a much denser fibrous organization than others ; some are so 
extremely delicate that one would feel no substance if mov- 
ing the hand through water in which they were sailing and 





Pleueobrachia (Agassiz). 



actually coming in contact with them ; while others are not 
only gorgeously colored, but of a very definite consistency 
to the touch. Almost any day at certain hours may be seen 
stranded on the clean sands at Manhattan Beach hundreds 
and thousands of these shining little balls of life, varying in 
size from a pea to a marble. Sometimes so many of these 
are blown ashore by the ocean-waves that it is impossible 
for the multitude of people who visit this grand and popu- 
lar sea-side resort, to avoid walking upon them. 

There is one variety known as the JBoroes, which is of 
globular shape, and so transparent that whatever creature it 
may have recently swallowed for food may be plainly seen 



154 THE OCEAN. 

within this little iridescent sphere. Most of this class are 
furnished with very fine flexible cilia, through the aid of 
which they glide like shooting balls of light through the 
water ; their movements are extremely varied and graceful 
— ascending, descending, rotary, and in elegant curves. This 
little fairy-like object, however, carries its weapons of offense 
and defense in the shape of two pendent, hair-like filaments, 
which, though so fine, are tubes with still finer lateral branch- 
es, and with these it seizes and safely secures its prey, appar- 
ently also stupefying it as by an electric shock. The boroe 
is also phosphorescent. 

A near relation of the boroe is the Vetella, shaped like a 
Japanese parasol, with a thin filament on the top like two 
jibs placed with their broadest ends together and united at 
the centre. This sail-like appendage extends across the cen- 
tral zone of the animal. Its color is dark blue. Its circum- 
ference is edged with tentacula, and on its under surface are 
a number of suckers, with which it may either attach itself 
to foreign objects, if it wishes to anchor, or secure food for 
its very transparent stomach. 

The general principle upon which all these kinds of ani- 
mals are constructed is that of a floating bladder, which can 
be filled or discharged of water at will, with a greater or less 
number of tentacula and long, stinging filaments, and some 
appendages as sails with which to trim these bladder-boats, 
or else cilia to act as oars or means of propulsion. 

Among our native hydroids is the Sertularia argentea, 
which is found from the latitude of New Jersey to the Arc- 
tic Ocean. It is most profusely branched, and probably 
grows in larger masses than any other species. Specimens 
can almost always be found which have been washed ashore, 
lying high and dry, at Coney Island ; and, in this state, I 
venture to say that not more than one person in a thousand 
who pick this up supposes it to be anything but a vegetable 
production — some kind of sea-weed ; but it is altogether ani- 



HYDROIDS, MEDUSAE, ETC. 



155 



mal, built up by millions on millions of little hydroid polyps, 
almost invisible to the naked eye, but developing a world of 
beauty under the microscope. In its dead and dried con- 




LlVLNG HyDEOZOA, 



dition it is of so fine and elegant a texture as to take the 
place of honor among dried ferns, and other delicate plants 
or algae, usually without exciting the least suspicion in the 




Living Hydbozoa. — a, b, Different forms of Sertularia. Plumularia. 

minds of its preservers that they are carefully cherishing an 
animal skeleton. The Sertularia pumila does not grow in 
such large masses as the former ; it may be found attached to 



156 



THE OCEAN. 



the lower sides of stones, or creeping along the sides of fucus. 
eel-grass, and different kinds of sea-weeds, and is a most 
beautiful object for the aquarium. 

Another of these hydroid communities is the Coryne mi- 
raoilis, sometimes called Sarsia. These are particularly in- 




Colony of Coryne ; natural size 
(Agassiz). 





Magnified Head of Coryne ; a, stem ; 
t, tentacles ; o, mouth ; v, body ; 
d, medusa (Agassiz). 



Sarsia, a free Medusa, from Coryne 
mirabilis (Agassiz). 



teresting from the fact of their being one of the first species 
which revealed to naturalists the true relationship of the 
hydroids to the medusae. They are very pretty as seen ar- 
ranged in* little clusters on stones near the shore, or oftener 
on the broad fronds of sea-weeds. Their shape is somewhat 



HYDROIDS, MEDUSAE, ETC. 157 

club -like, with a small ball terminating eacb tentacle. 
They begin to show themselves in April or May, and at 
this season I have had thousands of these interesting little 
creatures in a vase of sea -water holding not more than 
two gallons. I remember well what enthusiasm and per- 
fect delight were expressed by Professor Louis Agassiz 
when I showed him this large -little family of hydroids; 
he said they were most intensely interesting to him, not 
only for their intrinsic beauty, but in a scientific point of 
view. 

The camjparvularian hydroids are, like the sertularians, 
found in miniature communities. The Tubularians, on the 
contrary, are often found extending to a height of four 
inches; they exist sometimes sin- 
gly, and then again in groups con- 
taining two or three dozen. The 
tubularian is ensconced in a tough, 
horny, semi-transparent tube, about 
the diameter of a fine knitting- 
needle ; and the little occupant can 
be discerned through the walls, 
appearing like a disjointed mass of 
reddish fluid. The horny sheath 
does not extend, as does the sertu- 
larian's, in a protecting calycle single head oe tubulaeia, show- 
around the head. They have the ™ me DC s„-b™s (a^. 
very singular habit of self-decapitation. A head rises into 
view from out of the end of the tube, and at about the 
end of four days drops off, when another promptly takes 
its place and expands for the same brief period, only to 
undergo the same fate as its predecessor. The opening 
and expansion of these little heads is like that of the 
flowering of minute daisies! a wonderful sight, which I 
hope none of my readers may die without witnessing. In 
a subsequent chapter of this book I will more fully describe 




158 THE OCEAN. 

how and where these beautiful objects for the aquarium may 
be obtained. 

Hydractinia polyclina, a yelvet-like mass, frequently 
found on the shells inhabited by hermit-crabs and on the 
whelk, is yet another species of hydroids, composed of such 
thickly-massed individuals that with the aid of the naked eye 
only it would be impossible to count them. These, however, 
are actually united together at their bases. In clear water, 
and when fully expanded, they exhibit a reddish or white 
appearance. 

There is another class of minute creatures, a sort of moss- 
like animals, called Bryozoa. They are found on marine 
plants, constructing their reticulated, lace-like cells. They 
are compound animals, and belong in one aspect to the mol- 
lusca family, and are shell-fish anatomically speaking, al- 
though they have neither a venous nor an arterial system, 
the nutrient fluid being contained in the visceral cavity. 
The Bryozoa are found very plentifully on the Gulf weed 
(Sargassum), on little round balls of the size of a pea ; and 
the " Sargassum " plant is often covered with them. I have 
frequently fished it up when crossing the Gulf Stream, and 
the plant was found to be perfectly coated with their coral- 
laceous cells. On putting a branch of this in a glass con- 
taining pure sea-water, the transformation was like magic : 
immediately this dead-looking object became all life and mo- 
tion ; their fine tentacles were displayed around each open- 
ing ; their form was that of a perfect wineglass ; and, as 
they popped their little plumed heads in and out, moving so 
lively and even gracefully, I thought it would be difficult, 
indeed, to see a more beautiful sight. The Vorticellm or 
tree-like animals are far more unsubstantial than the moss- 
like, and are fairy-like in the extreme delicacy of their con- 
struction. Their frailty compels them to exist as parasites 
on various kinds of sea-weeds. One might almost compare 
them to a tiny drop of smoke or mist : dew seems too sub- 



HYDROIDS, MEDUSA, ETC. 159 

stantial to represent them. They stand out on the least bit 
of a pedicle, with a little rounded top composed of separate 
branches, bnt which looks more like a passing breath than a 
living animal. Yet how quickly they show that they are 
alive ! At the slightest disturbance every little plume is 
shut up, and down they settle, so close to the leaf or whatever 
they are attached to, that they cannot be seen without a lens. 
But now maintain perfect silence, and keep the water undis- 
turbed, and presently out they come again, each one raising 
its head like the simultaneous opening of numberless minute 
web-like umbrellas. 

As the subject of Hydroid medusae is almost illimitable, 
we shall be obliged to give but a brief account of a few more 
of the most interesting members of the family. Should we 
attempt to give even a moiety of those which exist, several 
volumes would be needed ; and we are compelled to limit 
ourselves to a single chapter. 

Probably many of our readers who are in the habit of 
visiting Europe occasionally have had their attention called 
at some time during the voyage to the presence of creatures 
called by the sailors "Portuguese men-of-war." They ap- 
pear only when the sea is smooth, and then they may often 
be seen, sometimes in large numbers, occasionally " solitary 
and alone," proudly sailing before the gentle breeze. "We 
say "gentle breeze" advisedly, for at the earliest appearance 
of " a blow " they reef sails and go below. This is certainly 
one of the most elegant of the medusa tribe. Its body is of 
an ovate, somewhat boat-shaped form, with a projection at 
one end, which might be fancied a little like a bowsprit, 
only that it points downward instead of upward ; it is, in 
fact, a cylindrical float or bladder, expanded at the centre 
and tapering toward each end. The most prominent color 
is a bluish-purple tint, but this changes with every flash of 
light, so that one can scarcely speak of it as a positive color. 
For its sail it has a most elegant double frill of white tipped 



160 



THE OCEAN. 



with a bright vermillion or sometimes carmine color. On 
the under-side its keel consists of a large nnmber of stout, 
strong tentacles, each of which having a spiral twist, they 
look on closer examination like ends of blue-silk cording; 

sometimes these are temporarily- 
grouped together, looking very- 
like tassels. These are not 
longer when in repose than the 
depth or vertical measurement 
of the hull of this fantastic 
"man-of-war." But several 
times longer than these are nu- 
merous fine, contractile, thread- 
like organs; while the central 
streamers extend sometimes to 
a length a hundred and forty 
/ | fL \ | or fifty times greater than the 

body of the animal These 
are sometimes seen trailing at 
length, and sometimes more or 
less coiled, glistening beneath 
the water, spotted with round, 
pearl -like knobs, making the 
Physalia one of • the most at- 
tractive objects to be seen on 
the surface of the ocean. It is 
a member of the Siphonores 
family, and, like most of the class Medusae, is phosphores- 
cent. Their natural habitat is in southern waters, particu- 
larly in the Gulf of Mexico, and those which are accidentally 
met by European-bound vessels have been drifted out of 
their course by the northward-moving waters of the Gulf 
Stream. 

Is it not natural to wish to capture such a beautiful ob- 
ject, and to examine at leisure those tender, silk-like stream- 




Portuguese Man-of-Wak {Physalia 
arethusa). 



HYDROIDS, MEDUSAE, ETC. 161 

ers ? Beware, my friend ! Do not too hastily grasp after 
these ocean-coquettes ; all is not lovely that decks itself in 
gorgeous array. Hear the fate of Father Dutertre, who was 
one day sailing in the Antilles, and tried to take one of these 
harmless - looking beauties in his hand. " I had scarcely 
seized it," he writes, " when all its fibres seemed to clasp my 
hand, covering it as with bird-lime, and I had hardly felt it 
in all its freshness — for it is very cold to the touch — when it 
seemed as if I had plunged my arm up to the shoulder in 
boiling oil ; and this was accompanied by pains so strange 
that I could scarcely prevent myself from* shrieking." Le- 
blond, while bathing in the Caribbean Sea, had one of these 
animals seize upon his shoulder, and he describes the pain as 
so intense as almost to produce a fainting-fit. He succeeded 
in getting rid of the creature, but some of the filaments re- 
mained sticking in the skin, which caused great suffering for 
hours. Many other instances are recorded of the danger at- 
tending contact with these elegant sailors, particularly when 
encountered in their native seas, where they are naturally in 
the most vigorous condition. 

I have had some personal experience with this ambushed 
warrior, with its concealed mitrailleuse of hair-like guns, 
which sometimes attain a length of sixty feet, while the body 
of the animal may not be more than six inches. Though 
generally represented in illustrated works as trailing, I have 
seen them coiled up like a spiral spring, occupying but a few 
inches. While sailing through the Gulf Stream I have capt- 
ured them with a common hand-net ; but in doing this one 
must be very careful not to let the least particle of these 
stinging streamers come in contact with the unprotected 
hands or any part of the body. As soon as these valiant 
" men-of-war " are thrown upon the deck, they become per- 
fectly helpless ; and you will be very fortunate if you find 
that you have secured them intact ; very often, in landing 
them, these long tentacles, or some of them, are broken off. 



162 THE OCEAN. 

Sailors have such a dread of them that one can scarcely pro- 
cure any assistance from them either in landing or protecting 
a specimen ; indeed, after the creature has been removed and 
carefully secured in close jars, they will generally wash and 
scrub the deck, lest some of the " stings " should penetrate 
their feet. 

Captain Mortimer, of the ship Hamilton Fish, has made 
some most interesting and valuable observations on these ani- 
mals within the last year (1877). He has even succeeded in 
preserving one which maintains its sail set, the air-sac re- 
maining inflated, and the iridescent colors preserving all their 
beauty. Though it had lost some of its tentacles, it was evi- 
dently a " Portuguese " of spirit, and not to be dejected by 
captivity. 

The general name of Medusce was given to this class of 
animals on account of the snake-like filaments which they all 
possess, and which are highly suggestive of the snaky locks 
of the Greek Medusa, one of the three Gorgons. And the 
petrifying power of the latter is practically exercised by their 
marine namesakes ; for if their looks are less terrible, their 
embrace may prove as fatal. And yet how beautiful they 
look as they move with a sort of pulsating motion through 
the water, generally borne by the tides and currents, but ap- 
pearing to ride them voluntarily ! Sometimes hundreds of 
them may be seen floating along, showing every shade and 
tint, from the brightest to the most delicate opalescent hues. 

How different is their appearance, thus disporting them- 
selves, from the wretched aspect they present when stranded 
on the sands ! But then the fine tissues, which in fact form 
the framework of the animal, can be examined at leisure ; 
and it will be found that in nearly all there are four elongated 
oval marks crossing each other nearly at right angles, various- 
ly tinted with some shade of red, and which are the seams 
or hues of juncture of the slight, sac-like skin which holds 
together this unsubstantial aqueous animal. But the best 



HYDROIDS, MEDUSA, ETC. 163 

way, if possible, is to secure the medusa alive if one would 
see the modus operandi by which this slight epidermis and 
these trailing threads resolve themselves into a beautiful 
form, which seems to hold the secret of the prism within its 
dilated cuticle. If then our medusa can be dipped up in a 
bucket, or some vessel large enough to secure it unmutilated, 
and the water drained or poured off, in a short time the ani- 
mal will shrink away to a mere fibrous remnant. If now, 
before it actually dies, a new supply of water is added, a 
little at a time, the whole process of distention will be readily 
seen, and the animal will presently rise with something of 
that pulsating movement which may be observed in a balloon 
during the process of filling it with gas. When nearly full 
it tugs at the cords, anxious to get into the aerial space ; and 
as the medusa fills all its cellules with the fluid which gives 
it shape and consistency, it leaves the bottom of the vessel, 
floats gayly to the top, and once more revels in the air and 
light of the surface. 

It is well that all of the medusse are not so venomous as 
the Cyanea capillata, not only the most numerous but the 
most virulent of those which frequent our shores. Bathers 
ought to know how to recognize and avoid these creatures ; 
for there is no doubt that to them may be attributed some of 
the sudden drownings, apparently otherwise inexplicable, 
which have occurred with expert swimmers when at no great 
distance from shore. This animal is called in common par- 
lance preeminently " the stinger," and perhaps we cannot do 
better than to quote the story which a recent writer has pub- 
lished regarding this particular variety. He says : 

" One morning toward the end of June, while swimming off 
Long Branch, I saw at a distance something which looked like 
a patch of sand, occasionally visible, and occasionally covered 
as it were by the waves, which were then running high in con- 
sequence of a lengthened gale which had not long gone down. 
Knowing the coast pretty well, and thinking no sand ought to 



164 THE OCEAN. 

be in such a locality, I swam toward the strange object, and 
had got within some eight or ten yards of it before finding out 
that it was composed of animal substance. I naturally thought 
that it must be the refuse remains of some animal that had been 
thrown overboard, and, not being anxious to come in contact 
with it, turned to swim away. While I was yet approaching 
it I had noticed a slight tingling in the toes of the left foot, 
but, as I invariably suffer from cramp in those regions while 
swimming, I took the * pins-and-needles ' sensation for a symp- 
tom of the usual cramp, and thought nothing of it. As I swam 
on, however, the tingling extended farther and farther, and be- 
gan to feel very much like the sting of an old nettle. Sudden- 
ly the truth flashed across me, and I made for shore as fast as 
I could. On turning round for that purpose, I raised my right 
arm out of the water, and found that dozens of slender, trans- 
parent threads were hanging from it, and evidently still at- 
tached to the medusa, yet some forty or fifty feet away. The 
filaments were slight and delicate as those of a spider's web ; 
but there the similitude ceased, for each was armed with a 
myriad poisoned darts, that worked their way into the tissues, 
and affected the nervous system like the stings of wasps." 

The writer adds that before he was able to gain the shore 
the pain had become intense, and increased into torture on 
emerging from the water. Both the respiration and the ac- 
tion of the heart were dangerously intensified, and the whole 
system fearfully shocked. We suspect, however, that these 
latter symptoms might be accounted for on the score of 
fright, which such an encounter might readily excuse. The 
application in this case of a soothing oil outwardly, and the 
free use of brandy inwardly, proved mitigating. But if a 
closer contact had occurred, and these long, poisonous fila- 
ments had been thrown over the torso of the swimmer, it is 
quite probable he might not have returned to tell of the ad- 
venture. The concluding sentence may prove serviceable 
to bathers in general : 



HYDROIDS, MEDUSA, ETC. 165 

" If the bather or shore-wanderer should happen to see, 
either tossing on the waves or thrown upon the beach, a loose, 
roundish mass of tawny membranes and fibres, something like 
a very large handful of lion's mane and silver paper, let him 
beware of the object, and, sacrificing curiosity to discretion, 
give it as wide a berth as possible ; for this is the fearful 
* stinger,' the Cyanea capillata" 



CHAPTEE XIY. 

SPONGES. 

To most people " a sponge is a sponge," and " it is noth- 
ing more," like the primrose to Wordsworth's countryman ; 
but scientifically a sponge is an animal, and it is something 
so different in its living state from what it is in the dried and 
withered condition in which it is usually seen that it is no 
wonder that even naturalists were long in attaining to the 
knowledge of its essentially animal character. 

The sponge as most of us know it, in commerce or on the 
toilet-table (Spongia officinalis), is simply a bushy or dome- 
shaped mass of dried, elastic fibres, characterized principally 
by its capability of being softened by moisture, and, as for 
its appearance, one would simply say that it was a yellowish 
or reddish brown, highly-porous substance. But let us seek 
the living animal-plant ; and, if not previously aware of the 
circumstance, we shall surely make a mistake ; for it is not 
here of a dowdy-brown color, but many of them are of a 
bright-golden yellow, or, more likely still, an intensely bright 
vermilion, at a distance resembling coral. This is not all the 
difference : if we have very sharp eyes, we shall see that 
over the fibrous mass, and interlining all the interstices, is a 
slight, gelatinous membrane ; and, if we add to our eyes the 
aid of a good lens, we shall see that the whole substance is 
interpenetrated with fine spiculse, irregularly arranged into 
groups, sometimes of mathematical, sometimes of fantastic 
shape. These sharp, needle-like spiculse pierce quite through 



SPONGES. 167 

the investing membrane. Then, if yonr glass be strong 
enough, yon may see slight, narrow, cylindrical or tube-like 
projections, with a minnte ronnd, bladder-like appendage at 
the end, in which is a circular orifice ; sometimes several of 
these are united, and other variations of form take place. 
These tubes are not larger than an ordinary bristle. Their 
use appears to be to discharge the fecal matters which can- 
not be assimilated from the particles continually floating 
through the pores of the sponge. Late experiments have 
proved that these little tubes are sensitive to the touch. 

The scientific world is indebted to Mr. Bowerbank for 
the discovery of motory cilia in the sponge, which settled 
the controversy as to its animal nature ; the particular species 
on which he made these conclusive investigations was Gran- 
tia compressa. This variety grows at the tide-level, not in 
deep water. The family name of the sponges is Porifera, 
on account of the porous nature of the substance. It is the 
smaller holes that are called pores ; the occasional larger 
ones, which are usually found on the convex surface, are 
called oscules (little mouths). As the sponges receive their 
nourishment through the influx of sea-water, all these orifices 
are connected in the interior with canals leading into each 
other, and with the efferent orifices. Under an intense light 
and high magnifying power, the infintesimal polyp has been 
seen ; both cells and polyps " appear as if blown of clear 
glass ; the edges of the cells of the polyp, of the internal 
viscera, and of every individual tentacle, having the reful- 
gence of polished silver." 

In the spring these minute creatures engender germs, 
round, yellowish-white bodies, which at the proper period 
burst, giving egress to embryos of an ovoid shape and granu- 
lar in appearance. These little mites are furnished at one 
end with vibratile cilia. Swarms of them appear in April 
and May ; after a short period they come to the surface of 
the water, where millions of them are dispersed by local 



168 THE OCEAN. 

currents. Subsequently they temporarily lose their cilia, 
and are then transformed into flat, gelatinous disks ; finally, 
they become fixed to some rock or other object, and there 
develop into the form of the parent sponge. 

The sponge family are found widely distributed through 
nearly all seas, and appear to attach themselves almost indif- 
ferently to any object, but are very frequently found hanging 
from the under-side of projecting rocks or in caves, either en- 
tirely submerged or visited by daily tides. A favorite habitat 
is the Mediterranean Sea ; they are also plentiful in the Red 
Sea and in the Gulf of Mexico and the waters of Japan ; 
some are found on the coast of Wales, and a few specimens 
grow on our own shores, mostly affixed to shells ; but the 
genus containing the greatest number of varieties is found 
in the Caribbean Sea. Those kinds which grow in the wa- 
ters of our coast, from Massachusetts to ISTew York, are 
nearly all parasite upon shells — oysters, mussels, scallops. 
The most common of these are the Flustra foliacea and the 
Alcyonidia oculata. At the rooms of the Long Island His- 
torical Society in Brooklyn may be seen some beautiful spe- 
cimens of our local sponges. 

Sponges have different characters. The best sponge owes 
its value to the resiliency of the interwoven fibre of the skel- 
eton, while others contain so much flinty matter as to be ex- 
ceedingly brittle, and have scarcely any elasticity. Of this 
kind is the Spongia fragilis, which is almost entirely com- 
posed of little hollows or cups, nearly as friable as thin glass. 
The flint in this class predominates ; in the common kind a 
horny substance prevails. 

The loring sponges usually attack mollusks. One species, 
the Cliona sulphurice (Yerrill), does not limit itself to the 
shell, but spreads out on all sides, killing the animal, and at 
last dissolving the substance of the shell ; and it frequently 
continues its growth, absorbing sand, gravel, and stones, until 
it attains over a foot in diameter. A very beautiful form of 



SPONGES. 169 

jewelry is indebted to the boring sponge for its attractive ap- 
pearance. The German and Sicilian agates owe their pe- 
culiarity to the presence of fossil sponges ; and the chalk- 
cliffs of England and the chalk-quarries nnder Paris are 
largely composed of fossilized sponges. But one class, that 
known as Spongilla, grows in fresh water. 

The " Turkey sponges," so called from being gathered 
near the shores of Turkey and the adjoining seas, are those 
we mostly see exposed for sale ; but three hundred species 
are already known. All the valuable kinds live in deep wa- 
ter, and are brought up by divers, or occasionally by dredg- 
ing-machines ; they assume an immense variety of shapes, 
some very curious, like the " Neptune's glove," which bears 
a striking resemblance to a human hand. Some of them 
grow vertically, others hang pendent. Some are exceedingly 
coarse, and are with difficulty freed from calcareous matter ; 1 
others are fine and soft, almost as smooth as silk. The most 
common shape is that of an elevated mound. 

I have succeeded in keeping sponge alive in confinement 
for several months ; but it does not thrive under such condi- 
tions. It appears to require the free flow of the ocean, the 
constant dashing of the waves, the rising and ebbing of the 
tides, to content it and insure its growth. 

1 It is these calcareous sponges which Prof. E. Haeckel declares are an im- 
portant link in the ancestral history of man ! 



CHAPTEE XV. 

THE WHITE WHALE— TEE SEAL. 

"We do not expect as a general thing that our readers are 
ambitions of keeping whales in their parlor-aqnaria. But 
as they have been more or less domesticated in our public 
aquaria and museums, and as I have had a personal ac- 
quaintance with one at least of the species, it seems not en- 
tirely out of place to contrast this monster mammal of the 
deep with some of the almost microscopic forms which we 
have been considering. 

From a hydroid to a whale ! "What an immense leap, 




White Whale {Beluga catodon). 



and how many thousands of intermediate animals we have 
been obliged to omit all notice of for want of space ! But 
this is such a complete contrast to the class of marine objects 



THE WHITE WHALE— THE SEAL. 171 

which we have hitherto described that perhaps some of our 
readers will be inclined to charge us with aiming at a " grand 
transformation scene " to close the show ; for this chapter 
must end the descriptive portion of our book, and we shall 
only add some concluding remarks on the best way of estab- 
lishing and preserving an aquarium. 

But to return to our whale. This species (which natu- 
ralists call the white dolphin) does not grow to the immense 
size which some others attain ; it rarely grows to a greater 
length than twenty feet, while the " true whale," the " Green- 
land," and the " sperm," often reach to fifty or sixty. But 
a few feet more or less will make no difference on paper, 
and it will answer just as well for a type of the great cetacean 
family as any other member ; while it has had the advantage 
of social intercourse with mankind in our own metropolis, 
and also in the learned circles of Boston, where it has been 
under daily investigation by the great naturalist Agassiz and 
other smants, whence it has acquired additional interest. 
Whether the white whale himself is duly grateful for all 
these social advantages which have been forced upon him 
may be questionable. Be that as it may — involuntary mar- 
tyr though he may have been in the cause of science — the 
community at large has been greatly instructed as well as enter- 
tained by the enterprise of our fellow-citizens who conceived 
the idea of capturing a white whale for exhibition ; for the 
sight of an object, especially if its habits can be observed and 
studied, is worth many lessons from books, however learned 
or entertaining these may be. 

None of the whale family are fishes. That they were 
long considered so, and are still spoken of as such, simply 
shows that the external form and the element in which the 
animal lives have alone been considered, not its internal 
structure and the essential principles of its organization. 
Fishes having been probably the first to attract man's notice 
among all the dwellers in the deep, every animal which 



172 THE OCEAN. 

lived in water came to be spoken of as " fish." The natural- 
ist, however, has other rules for classifying the animal crea- 
tion, and the latest and best method is that of internal struct- 
ure and organic function. The whale differs from true 
fishes in several important particulars. Fishes have no lungs, 
and breathe only by aid of their gills. The whale has lungs 
like land-animals, and a distinct nostril ; in addition, to en- 
able it to remain under water for a limited time, it has an 
air-chest or reservoir, which it fills through the crescent- 
shaped nostril near the eyes. Again, fishes produce young 
by means of eggs. Whales are viviparous, that is, bring 
forth their young alive. The whole fin-system of the fish is 
lacking in the whale. In fishes the fins consist of a peculiar 
membrane inlaid with rays of bony spines. The so-called 
fins of the whale are more like the flippers of the seal tribe, 
and consist of an extended or protruded fold of the true skin. 
The axis of the tail-fin is exactly reversed in the whale tribe. 
In true fishes the tail is set so as to act horizontally, turning 
only to the right or left ; in the whale the movement is ver- 
tical, and beats the surface of the waves like a broad-palmed 
hand, as many a whaler knows to his cost. In diving, ordi- 
nary fish sink at a comparatively low angle ; the whale plunges 
down almost vertically. The whale has warm, red blood, 
and nurses its young with milk, assuming during this oper- 
ation a vertical position, and holding the young with its fins. 
The grade of the cetaceans is indicated by a marked in- 
feriority evinced in the uniformity of the teeth ; that is, 
there are neither incisors, cuspids, bicuspids, nor molars, but 
all are shaped alike, while some of the tribe have no visible 
teeth whatever, only rudimentary ones which have never 
pierced the integumentary covering. The baleen whales, 
which furnish the whalebone of commerce, have none, and 
feed on small Crustacea, mollusks, and marine vegetation. 
Whales are capable of affection for each other ; they will 
neither desert their mates nor their young. 



THE WHITE WHALE— THE SEAL. 173 

All whales have what is called a " blow-hole," that is, an 
opening on the top of the head which communicates with 
the month ; from this they eject air mixed with water, and 
this peculiarity enables them to be distinguished at a long 
distance from seals, porpoises, walruses, or other large inhabi- 
tants of the deep. Thus, when the lookout on a whaler 
sees this spurt in the air, he knows of course that it is the 
object they are seeking ; but he never calls out, " There's a 
whale ! " but invariably, " There she Mows ! " 

The white whale is distinguished from its larger relatives 
by being deprived of a dorsal fin. Whalers never call this 
variety a whale ; it is with them " fish," or " white-fish," re- 
serving the term " whale " for the more valuable species. 

The difficulty of capturing a whale even twenty feet long 
is immense, and the expense is also great. It cannot be taken 
alive by pursuit, and the only successful method is to build 
a large trap, by sinking long stakes into the mud at low tide, 
inclosing a space large enough for several whales, and exca- 
vating this so as to form a sort of basin. When a school of 
whales approach the spot at high tide, they do not perceive 
the shallowness of the water ; and the sole chance of captur- 
ing them is, that they remain sporting about over the in- 
closed basin until the tide has retired, when they find them- 
selves struggling in the mud or in water too shallow to float 
in easily, and they are then approached by their hunters. 
E~ow comes " the tug of war." Several men enter the water 
and endeavor to fasten ropes around one or two of the en- 
trapped animals. The lower the water, the more easily this 
is done ; but generally a very exciting struggle ensues, the 
whale endeavoring to escape from the barriers which sur- 
round him, and the men in their attempts slipping, splash- 
ing, sinking in the mud, sometimes knocked over by, the 
plunges of the worried animal, ordering, shouting, and (I fear 
I must add) swearing. Finally, in a few instances, they have 
at last succeeded in making leviathan captive. 



174 THE OCEAN. 

But even when the ropes are secured around the whale, 
care must be taken not to injure him by fastening them too 
tight ; they manage, therefore, rather so as to guide him the 
way he must go than actually to drag him by main force. 
Withal, speed is necessary ; for should the tide return before 
the victim is secure, he would get away in spite of men and 
ropes. A necessary part of the capture has been the prepara- 
tion of a long, strong box, specially built for the purpose and 
brought on to the muddy flat. This box is carefully padded 
with whole cart-loads of f ucus and other sea-weeds ; else the 
whale would beat himself to death in his struggles from sur- 
prise and anger at finding himself in such contracted quar- 
ters. 

After the men have succeeded in tumbling him in, the 
question is how to keep the animal alive during its transpor- 
tation of several hundred miles. One would think he might 
be towed round, like the Cleopatra needle ; but such was not 
the plan decided upon with the specimens brought to New 
York. Each one was first hoisted aboard a schooner, which 
bore the captives to Quebec ; from there they were sent by 
the Grand Trunk Railroad to Portland, Maine, and thence 
by steamer to this city. The boxes were not more than four 
feet high or wide, and just long enough for the body. No 
doubt, when the poor animal found himself thus inclosed, 
he suspected that a first-class funeral was contemplated, with 
himself as the principal in the affair ; for the box was little 
more than a coffin. It was not water-tight, and freely ad- 
mitted air; and a man was kept constantly employed in 
watering his lordship's "blow-hole," standing by his head 
and with a dipper keeping up a sufficient supply of water to 
enable the creature to " blow " if he wished, or at least to 
breathe freely. If this important organ had been allowed to 
become dry, the coffin would probably have passed from a 
fancy to a reality ; but not only was this carefully attended 
to, but the whole epidermis was kept wetted, and his sea^ 



THE WHITE WHALE— THE SEAL. 175 

weed bed moist, so that lie was cared for as comfortably as 
tlie circumstances permitted. 

It is necessary only to follow the fortunes of one, as all 
were treated in much the same way. To Messrs. "W". C. 
Coup, Charles Reiche & Bro., the founders and original pro- 
prietors of the Public Aquarium in New York, is the credit 
due for the successful accomplishment of bringing several of 
these whales to our metropolis, where so many thousands 
have been able to see them living,. and where their habits 
could be studied from day to day. 

Those brought by these gentlemen, however, were not the 
earliest captured and kept in confinement. The first one 
ever captured for such a purpose was secured by Prof. H. D. 
Butler, who brought it in perfect health to Boston, Massa- 
chusetts, where it was kept in an immense glass reservoir, 
and at a later date was under my immediate charge and su- 
pervision. It continued in good condition for more than a 
year, and became so perfectly acclimated to its new home 
that it actually showed some signs of intelligence. There 
was a nautilus-shaped boat made, to which he was occasionally 
tackled and taught to draw. I fancy he was not very fond 
of being treated like a draught-horse ; for when we wanted 
him to " hold up " to be harnessed, he just put on speed and 
went all the faster around his glass-walled circle. He would, 
however, sometimes condescend to take a live herring or a 
squirming eel from my hand, and then, turning on one side, 
sail round and look up for more of the same sort ; and in 
other ways he would show that he was really becoming an 
intelligent Americanized citizen. This creature hardly ever 
remained still ; it appeared to be always swimming around 
its tank, and ever in the one direction, but varying its 
speed ; and it seemed to find amusement in diving up and 
down and in splashing the water with its tail, which was ad- 
mirably formed for the purpose ; varying its performances 



176 THE OCEAN. 

by occasionally spouting a stream of water through its blow- 
hole into the air. 

It is astonishing how tenacious of life is the white whale, 
and the amount of ill usage and hard treatment it will under- 
go. Last season one of these animals was shipped in a box 
without water from New York to the Royal Aquarium in 
London, where it arrived alive, but of course not well ; and 
it was not surprising that it resented such treatment by dying 
four days after its arrival. 

SEALS. 

One of the most intelligent of marine animals is the seal. 
There are many varieties, but the Phoca vitulina or common 
seal is the kind I am best acquainted with, and with which 
I have enjoyed a friendly, even affectionate relation. These 
are not infrequent on the coast of Maine, and occasionally 
extend their southern wanderings into the latitude of New 
York. It is sometimes called the "springing seal," from 
the agility of its movements in the water. It travels in 
shoals — unlike the Greenland seal, which is only found single 
or en famille. When appearing in our waters, these seals 
are often mistaken for porpoises ; but they have not the roll- 
ing motion of the latter, and the characteristic springing 
leap of this seal would be readily recognized by an experi- 
enced eye. 

The seal is a warm-blooded animal — a mammal, in fact, 
which suckles its young on milk, which sailors sometimes 
appropriate for their coffee. Like the whale, it is inclosed 
in a thick case of blubber, so closely adherent to the skin 
that it is not easily separated. The skin is covered either 
with hair or fur ; the best fur-bearing seals are found in ant- 
arctic waters. A full-grown seal of this variety will vary 
from four and a half to six feet in length ; it is compara- 
tively slim in form, and very lithe and elastic in its move- 
ments, twisting and turning itself in such an astonishing 



THE WHITE WHALE— THE SEAL. 177 

manner that one would think it had no vertebrae. The shape 
of the head resembles a dog's, with the ears cut off in the 
latest style of " black-and-tan " coquetry. The most strik- 
ing feature is the eye, which is dark in color, but large, 
bright, and speaking in expression — sometimes having a lov- 
ing or even pathetic look almost human. When on the land, 
where they spend much of their time basking in the sun on 
the rocks, they propel themselves forward partly by their 
strong, muscular tail (or hind-flipper), which acts something 
on the principle of the blades of a steamboat-propeller, and 
pull themselves forward and upward by the aid of their fore- 
flippers, which are broadly hand-like in form. With these 
forearms or flippers the maternal seal holds its young as a 
human mother does her child ; and there is little doubt but 
it is this animal which originally gave rise to the legends 
about mermaids. Seen among partially-concealing waves by 
the wonder-seeking eyes of unscientific sailors, a female seal 




Seal swimming. 

might really be mistaken for a semi-human being. When it 
returns to the water, the prominent nostrils of the seal flat- 
ten out, closing the apertures and effectually excluding the 
water. Seals live principally on small live fish ; and, when 
aiming for a dinner, with their bright eyes fixed on a victim, 
they dart upon it with almost lightning-speed. 

They are not only capable of being tamed when in cap- 
tivity, but it may truly be said they can be educated. They 



178 THE OCEAN. 

are extremely sensitive to sounds, 1 and can even "be taught to 
enunciate short syllables. I had one that could say Pa and 
Ma intelligibly, and no doubt with longer instruction it 
might have acquired other words. This one would also play 




The Seal (Plioca vitulind). 

a whole tune through on a hand-organ, by holding on to the 
crank with its right flipper. He could also make as graceful 
a bow as any lady need wish to receive, and he would " throw 
a kiss " with his flipper with much more ease and grace than 
many persons exhibit ; but, while throwing kisses to you with 
one flipper, he would also throw water over you with the 
other, and expect you to enjoy that as well as himself ! He 
would also follow me about like a dog, and was not even dis- 

1 It is mentioned in the diary of Captain Tyson (" Arctic Experiences," page 
303), that seals can be attracted by any soft, pleasant sound, whistling, singing, 
or words spoken in a pleasing tone ; and these devices were used by him to 
procure provisions for his " ice-floe " party. 



THE WHITE WHALE— THE SEAL. 179 

couraged by a flight of stairs, up and down which he w T onld 
go to keep me in sight. When I was obliged to leave him 
at night, or any other time, he would beckon to me with his 
head and neck "to come back," just as plainly as words 
could have expressed the feeling; and when he could no 
longer see me, he would cry like a child. 

Sight, hearing, and memory are very keen. They do 
not readily forget any one who has petted them, nor an un- 
kind word either, and never a blow ; and, really, if one had 
the proper accommodations, he could not easily procure a 
more loving and grateful pet than a bright-eyed, intelligent 
seal. The accompanying illustration shows a group of them 
in the act of looking and listening to the well-known foot- 
steps of a friend not yet in sight. 



CHAPTEE XYI. 

MARINE AND FRESH -WATER t AQUARIA— HOW TO DO 
EVERYTHING THAT IS NECESSARY TO BUILD, 
STOCK AND TAKE CARE OF THE AQUARIUM. 

Every man ought to have a hobby. There is no real 
life without enthusiasm for something * and there is no pas- 
sion so healthful as that for natural objects. Few visitors 
who see the metropolis for the first time, unless they are of 



Fresh- Watek Aquarium complete. 



a very wooden nature, fail to get more or less excited over 
some novelty which the ever-changing phantasmagoria of 
city life passes before their wondering eyes. My first youth- 
ful passion was suddenly awakened by a gorgeous poster 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 181 

embellished with these words : " "Wonders of the Sea ! " My 
imagination was wonderfully aroused, and, with a friend al- 
most as ardent as myself, I started for the Aquarial Hall ; 
we arrived in sight of the place, and viewed with increasing 
admiration the astounding illuminated canvas which deco- 
rated the entrance. We approached — we entered — we saw ! 
I do not know whether it was the curly fish, with its own 
tail in its mouth, or the eel-like fish in a double love-knot, 
or the fat prickly-fish, which looked as though he had swal- 
lowed a porcupine and all the spines had stuck through the 
stomach of his entertainer, that first entranced my astonished 
vision ; or whether it was not rather the bluefish which was 
trying to swallow the goldfish alive, or some now forgotten 
marvel; but certain it is that such wild exhilaration shot 
through my veins that in less than fifteen minutes I had 
already discounted the wonders which were before my eyes, 
in my exaggerated fancy thought of nothing less than dis- 
covering a mermaid's nest, with eggs ready to hatch out the 
beautiful beings of my over-excited brain. 

From fish to fish I traveled, and from those fishes I never 
stirred for the whole day ; and, when finally dragged away 
from the place by my companion, my first thought was, " 1 
must have an aquarium ! " At first I wanted one as big as 
the Central Park, where could be kept every kind of fish I 
had ever heard of ; then, successively, I felt obliged to reduce 
the size to that of Union Square and of the Everett House ; 
and thought I was very moderate when I had compressed 
my imagination to the limits of two city lots, and mentally 
flooded them for the purpose of fish-culture ! But, finally, 
on reflection, it became apparent to my sobered thought 
that in so large an aquarium as I had been imagining I 
should not be able to see my fish, any more than if I should 
drop them into the ocean. So away went my dreams, and, 
in sad sobriety, I at last concluded to content myself with 
a tank of the largest size ! 



182 THE OCEAN. 

WHAT AN AQUARIUM IS. 

An aquarium is any kind of vessel containing water, 
aquatic plants, and animals, in a living, healthy, and, as near- 
ly as possible, natural condition. The water may be either 
marine or fluvial, and the choice of this governs that of the 
plants and animals. A tank, which is a word frequently 
used by aquarians, is any angular, flat-sided vessel with con- 
tents as described above. The successful treatment of ani- 
mals and aquatic plants in the confined space of an aquarium 
depends entirely upon the close imitation of Nature in that 
law of life by which an exact balance is everywhere main- 
tained between the supply of oxygen created in water and 
the quantity consumed by the animals inhabiting it. With- 
out a due regard to this principle, the aquarium, one of the 
purest pleasures of our modern times, could never have been 
established. 

This principle of compensation was suspected to exist a 
long time before it was demonstrated by Priestley at the 
close of the last century. In a French publication in 1778 
the subject was also ably elucidated, and the action of the 
sun's rays in disengaging the oxygen generated in plants was 
clearly announced. But the application of this principle to 
the aquarium is of quite recent date ; the year 1850 may be 
said to have been practically the starting-point, although M. 
Charles des Moulius, of Bordeaux, France, had made very 
interesting experiments in the same direction as early as 
1830 with fresh-water plants and animals. Mr. "Warrington 
at the first-named date reported to the Chemical Society of 
London a series of observations on the adjustment of rela- 
tions between the animal and vegetable kingdoms. In the 
course of his experiments he placed two small goldfish in a 
glass receiver, in which there were some earth and sand and 
a small plant of Valisneria spiralis. All went on well for 
weeks, until some leaves of the plant decayed and made the 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 183 

water turbid. With a flash of thought akin to genius, Mr. 
Warrington remembered that in natural ponds there were 
always water-snails, and that these fed on decayed leaves, 
lie speedily obtained several, and introduced them into his 
tank. The transformation of affairs was rapid ; the snails 
immediately began to feed greedily upon the decayed leaves, 
and the water was soon thoroughly purified and restored to 
its original clearness. The same gentleman in 1852 insti- 
tuted a similar series of experiments with sea-water, and was 
equally successful. 

About the same time the celebrated English naturalist, Mr. 
Gosse, commenced tests upon a much larger scale, aiming per- 
haps less at general scientific discoveries than at the develop- 
ment of certain lines of natural history. To him, his experi- 
ments, and his pen, are due the thanks of all lovers of the aqua- 
rium ; for he, perhaps, has done more than any other to make 
it popular. In this country I believe the writer was one of 
the very first to be inoculated with the aquarial passion — a 
passion that has grown with time, and has a deeper hold to- 
day than even in the first period of magnificent visions. 

So far as I have been able to ascertain, the pioneer in- 
ductor of the private aquarium in this country was Miss 
Elizabeth Emerson Damon, of Windsor, Vermont ; and her 
first essays were made with the simple apparatus of a two- 
quart glass jar, with a few fish, some tadpoles and snails, and 
some Potamogeton (common pond-weed) ; but so perfectly 
ftalanced was this young aquarium with animal and vegetable 
life, that I fell in love with it at first sight ; and never since, 
among all the aquarial curiosities which I have possessed, and 
the thousands I have seen, has there been a collection nearer 
perfection than that contained in the poor old two-quart jar 
— an opinion confirmed by nearly a quarter of a century's 
experience that Nature's laws are unchangeable, and that it is 
not the quantity but the quality which makes perfect. It is 
to the nice balances of Nature that we owe so much of health, 



184 THE OCEAN. 

life, and beauty. Sea-water contains about 35 parts in 1,000 
of solid matter, which consists of chloride of sodium, chloride 
of potassium, chloride of magnesium, sulphate of magnesia, 
sulphate of lime, and also traces of bromides, iodine, fluorine, 
phosphates, borates, carbonate of lime, and silica, with yet 
smaller quantities of iron and manganese, arsenic, copper, 
lead, silver, and gold. When pure it has about eight parts of 
oxygen and one of hydrogen gas. 

On account of the large amount of animal life in the 
ocean, there would be a deficiency of oxygen, and an accu- 
mulation of carbonic acid, if this were not compensated for 
by the profusion of marine plants. "Were it not for these, 
the carbonic acid exhaled by the marine animals would cause 
a general condition of coma among them. But the oxygen 
given out by the abundant vegetation keeps the balance just 
right. It is not alone the carbonic acid which is injurious to 
animal life everywhere, and particularly within the limita- 
tions of a private aquarium ; but too much hydrogen is also 
very destructive, and any decaying body submerged in water 
gives off various offensive gases, such as sulphuretted hy- 
drogen and other compounds of a virulent poisonous nature. 
Hence the aquarium must be carefully watched, that neither 
dead animal nor vegetable matter remain in the tank. 

Probably some people look upon the aquarium as a mere 
pastime, a sort of adult toy. But, properly considered, it is 
a scientific apparatus, with ever-new questions to propound ; 
each new inhabitant introduced has its peculiar laws of being, 
and the experiment is often a doubtful one whether this or 
that new-comer will not disturb the harmony, or attempt the 
lives, of some members of the family already happily estab- 
lished. The laws of heat and light, too, have to be consid- 
ered not only with regard to the health of the animals, but 
to the growth of vegetation ; for this may become too rank, 
or it may be found deficient in balancing the animal life. 
The natural laws involved in the successful preservation of a 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 185 

well-stocked aquarium will often tax the knowledge and re- 
sources of the ablest naturalist ; while yet they may be ren- 
dered so simple (if too much variety is not insisted upon) as 
to be within the easy management of any intelligent person. 
The first necessity of an aquarium is sufficient aeration. 
This may be produced in three ways : First, by running wa- 
ter ; secondly, by means of growing plants ; and, thirdly, by 
artificial introduction of air. All of these modes are now 
used, and each has its peculiar advantages, and each some ob- 
jections ; circumstances must often govern the choice of 
means, but the thing must be done, and the water duly oxy- 
genated. When once the first principles are mastered, and 
reasonable success assured, I know of no attainable pleasure 
so pure, enduring, and elevating, as the observation and study 
of these natural objects — not dead, but living. And what is 
of some importance in these days, the pleasure may be made 
very inexpensive ; and another advantage is, that it is pre- 
eminently health-promoting. We all know — business-men, I 
mean — how unsatisfactory it usually is " to take a week " for 
a vacation, simply from custom or a feeling of necessity, 
when one has no special object in view, and knows not where 
to go or what to do ; and I believe all medical men will agree 
with me in the assertion that exercise taken with an object 
is very much more beneficial to body and mind than when 
undergone in a mere perfunctory manner from a sense of 
duty. 

THE AQURIANISt's RAMBLES. 

From the hour that you possess an aquarium, assuming 
that you have some taste and love for natural history, you 
are supplied with a motive for a pleasant ramble whenever 
you have an hour to spare. For equipment, you need only a 
small hand-net with fine meshes, a glass vial, and a small tin 
pail with a perforated lid. With these you are prepared to 
hunt along the margin of the nearest rill, or pond, or sea-side 
pool. You will always find some new object, animal or vege- 



186 THE OCEAN. 

table, for jour tank ; you will not make half a dozen expe- 
ditions without finding forms of life entirely new to you ; 
and probably there are few places in the world more favor- 
able for procuring supplies for the aquarium, at little cost of 
time or trouble, than the immediate vicinity of New York 
City. 

For the fresh-water aquarium there are the streams and 
ponds of Harlem, of Staten and Long Islands, and the rivers 
of Jersey, all of which furnish abundance of living things, 
beautiful and interesting objects, both plants and animals ; 
while the shores and rocks of our noble bay, the East River, 
and the Sound, are an inexhaustible reservoir for the salt- 
water collection. Before you can form any true conception 
of the wonderful variety of marine animal and vegetable 
life to be found within a limited circuit, hidden, indeed, 
from the common gaze, though by no means inaccessible, 
you must have tried the experiment of looking for it with 
your own eyes, and not by proxy. A single scoop of the 
net along the bottom of the streamlet, or just below the sur- 
face along the margin of the pond, will often bring living 
forms to light which were " never dreamed of in your phi- 
losophy." 

HOW TO START AN AQUARIUM. 

I would advise no one to commence the keeping of an 
aquarium upon a large scale. A small beginning is safest ; 
for, although you may think you have studied the subject 
thoroughly, and the perfection of an aquarium is admitted to 
be governed by fixed laws, yet success can be practically at- 
tained only by experience. A fixed shape is not necessary. 
Even a glass globe, the most objectionable of all, can be 
used ; but it has the serious disadvantage of optical distor- 
tion ; and, worse yet, if brought into the sunlight, it is acted 
upon like a burning-glass. I have seen fishes almost par- 
boiled in a globe, which would have been comfortable in the 
same position in a square tank, or in a flat pan with plenty 



MARINE AND FRESH- WATER AQUARIA. 187 

of surface exposed to the air. Almost any glass vessel can 
be used, but the vessels made expressly for the purpose are 
much the best. And I may here mention, for the benefit of 
possible readers outside of New York, that everything neces- 
sary for the stocking of an aquarium, as well as the reservoir 
itself, can be ordered from the establishment of B. Green- 
wood, 'No. 11-J- College Place — tanks, glasses, plants, and 
animals for salt or fresh water, in almost endless variety. 
Indeed, the furnishing of aquaria has now become an impor- 
tant commercial interest of this city. 

The oblong tank is undoubtedly about the best shape, but 
this rule need not be rigidly adhered to. It must be remem- 
bered that, whatever shape you decide upon, there must be a 
proportionally large amount of surface as compared with the 
depth : this obviates much care as to the oxygenation of the 
body of the water, which is of course a vital point. You 
may test this if you have an invalid fish : if he is not too far 
gone for convalescence, put him into a common earthen dish 
or pan with fresh water, and he will speedily recover. I 
have tried this often very successfully with invalid fish. 

A home-made tank will do, then % Don't think of it for 
an instant as a permanent achievement. My dear reader, 
you cannot anticipate the difficulties ; you had better attempt 
to build a house, or a railroad with all its rolling stock, than 
to construct an aquarium which will not leak on the parlor 
carpet, or kill the fishes it contains. "It looks simple 
enough," you will say ; but it is not. The amount of latent 
difficulties inherent in the construction of a "home-made 
aquarium " is perfectly astonishing. You think you have 
got it all right, and now that it really is finished you invite 
a few favored friends to be the witnesses of your success ; 
and as you stand by your crystal pond, one of your friends 
confidentially whispers to you, " It's leaking, and will spoil 
your carpet." You knew this well enough yourself ; that is 
why you stood so very close to that particular corner, and 



188 THE OCEAN. 

tried to conceal the wet spot with your shadow, hoping your 
guests would not see it. Oh, dear ! it is too bad, but water is 
so thin, it will work through anywhere. It drips down faster 
and faster, and you are obliged to ask your friends to assist 
you in emptying your grand new aquarium. 

I think I hear some reader ask : " Did that ever happen to 
you ? And if it did, could you not repair it ? " Didn't I 
try to, over and over again ? and sometimes whole days would 
pass without a drop of water escaping from my tank. But 
at night one of the glasses — only one, perhaps — would crack 
its whole width, and the water would now out so noiselessly 
upon the floor that the mischief would not be discovered till 
morning. Then imagine the consternation and disgust ! 
But I will leave this (to me) painful part of the subject ; 
only, by way of warning, giving the items of expense which 
my first tank cost me : 

Paid for services of a mechanic making pattern for iron corners $2 50 

" " " of same man fitting aforesaid 1 00 

" " three days' work, wood bottom, etc 3 75 

" " twenty pounds iron castings, corners, etc.. 2 00 

" " four pieces of glass 3 50 

" " cement which contained white-lead and killed the fishes 40 

" " another cement which was not water-proof 75 

" " another not so good as the first 50 

" " materials for experiments in cement-making 2 50 

" " a good aquarium-cement, and expressing the same from New 

York 1 00 

" " new glasses in a tank, three having split from the warping of 

the wooden frame 2 62 

" " express charges on a " wooden fish " sent me by waggish friend 

(made from a shingle !) 50 

" " small boy helping me fill tank with water thirty or forty times. 3 00 

" " same for emptying leaky tank 2 00 

My own winter services, five months' hard work — say 1 00 

Thus far actually paid out $27 02 

And such a sight to show for it ! I cannot describe it, 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 189 

and only wish I could present my readers with a sketch of it 
as it looked the last morning before I concluded to go to New 
York and purchase a tank which would hold water. This 
I at last did. Add the price of this (only ten dollars), a com- 
plete iron and glass octagon tank, to the above, and we have 
a total of thirty-seven dollars and two cents as the cost of 
my first aquarium, twenty-seven of which I might better 
have saved, with all the fuss and trouble that it cost me in 
attempting to compete with the professional dealers ! 

Having thus given the reader a hint how to procure (and 
also how not to procure) an aquarium, I will now give some 
information as to the best mode of stocking a tank. In the 
first place, it is always prudent to test the tank by filling it 
with water, if only to see that there is no leak or any other 
defect in its construction. If it appears to be all right, still 
do not be impatient to get your stock in ; let the water re- 
main two or three days, so as to thoroughly draw out any 
impurity or taint in the cemenfc. If at the end of that time 
you should see an appearance of the prismatic colors on the 
surface, there is something wrong ; it must be emptied and 
refilled, until the water remains clear and pellucid, when it 
will be safe to begin operations — never, however, using the 
water which has stood in the tank, but emptying it either with 
a siphon or by dipping and filling it with fresh. It is not 
necessary to put earth at the bottom, as was formerly done ; 
it makes the water muddy and does no good. The plants 
you should introduce will not need it, as the true aquatic 
vegetation draws its nourishment from the water alone, and 
only uses the ground for anchorage. A few inches of peb- 
bles on the bottom, and some pieces of rock will answer 
every purpose, and do not discolor the water ; they can also 
be arranged picturesquely and add to the beauty of the aqua- 
rium. 

The kind of water for a fresh-water tank is not material ; 
for, if the plants are of the right sort and in good condition, 



190 THE OCEAN. 

they will soon regulate the water. It is a good plan to let 
the plants adapt themselves to the tank by leaving them 
undisturbed for a few days before introducing any animals, 
especially fish, as they sometimes rush about rather wildly at 
first when introduced to a new domicile. Besides, it takes 
some little time for the plants to thoroughly aerate the water. 
You may know when this is effected by seeing little bubbles 
of air ascending through the water. "When these are visible 
you may safely begin to stock your tank, taking care not to 
overcrowd it with animals. This is the greatest temptation 
that besets amateurs. 

It may be well to suggest also that you should not put in 
too much rock-work. Of course a large piece of rock dis- 
places a certain amount of water, and the water is more valu- 
able for the preservation of animal life than rock-work. A 
piece here and there may be admitted, arranged to form a 
bridge, perhaps, or a cave, but only to suit your own taste 
and fancy. If the plants grow well, they will afford all the 
shade that is necessary for such animals as seek it, while it 
leaves them more space in which to disport themselves. 
Plants are also pleasanter to the eye ; and remember, rock 
has no aerating qualities. 

Contrary to the generally-received notion, the algae and 
not the higher orders of vegetation (with a very few excep- 
tions) are the most effective aerators even of the fresh-water 
aquaria, and they are more permanent. I have little doubt 
that many failures with fresh-water tanks are owing to the 
desire to cultivate the more showy but unsuitable forms of 
vegetation. Most of what are called the higher forms of 
plants, particularly flowering plants, have their seasons of 
decay, when of course they become a cause of impurity in 
the water ; and deposits of decomposed matter mar the beauty 
of the aquarium, and threaten the health and life of the in- 
habitants. 

A long and varied experience enables me to speak with 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 191 

confidence on this matter. I have occasionally devoted a 
tank to special experiments with vegetation, with very satis- 
factory results. My object has been principally to ascertain 
what fresh-water algse and other plants of a low order would 
spontaneously appear under the influence of a strong light. 
The tank upon which I experimented held between fifteen 
and twenty gallons of water. After washing the pebbles and 
the glass sides and ends with boiling water, so as to destroy 
any germs that might remain from the plants which once 
occupied it, I refilled it with pure water (putting no plants 
in), and set it in a strong light with a southern exposure. 
But a few days had elapsed before minute spores — unseen in 
the water without the aid of a strong glass — had fixed them- 
selves upon the sides of the tank and upon the rocks and 
pebbles on the bottom. A week or so more, and we had a 
perfect carpet of green, coating the inside of the tank with 
its soft, silky appearance. It is almost a perfect aquarium 
in itself, and handsomer far than one would think from the 
mere description. 

I allow, as is the better way with all fresh- water aquaria, 
the confervse to form freely on the two ends and the side 
nearest the light, keeping the side facing into the room clear, 
by the application every week of a piece of woolen cloth 
fastened to the end of a flat rod or stick. And, by-the-way, 
these confervse will form in any healthy aquarium, but the 
glass can be kept transparently clear by the above process. 
They are somewhat difficult to remove if allowed to grow 
too long, but in that case do not try to remove them with sand 
or anything of a harsh nature, for you will thus ruin your 
glass by scratches, and they cannot be got rid of by any 
means ; the woolen cloth is better than anything else. No at- 
tempt should be made to remove them from the rocks or peb- 
bles ; they often produce a very beautiful effect, and do no 
harm. If this green matter forms in excess by growing too 
fast, it can readily be checked in its growth by diminishing 



192 THE OCEAN. 

the amount of light admitted to the tank. The easiest way 
of accomplishing this is to use a screen of yellow paper, as 
this color is a non-conductor of light. 

AQUATIC PLANTS FOR THE AQUARIUM. 

The common pond-weed {Potamogeton) has been much 
used for the purpose in this vicinity ; but it is not really 
so desirable a plant as many others. When in a healthy 
condition, it is beautifully tinted, its hues varying from 
a lively, pale green to a bright, reddish brown. Its form, 
too, is graceful. But it will not thrive for any consider- 
able length of time ; and, what is more important still to 
remember, its oxygenating powers are much less than those 
of other varieties of this family of plants which I shall de- 
scribe. 

Potamogeton erispum is also a pond-weed, and in the 
water is a very pleasing object, having light-green leaves, 
corrugated or curled ; its general effect is pretty in the tank. 

Potamogeton . densum is still another plant of this class, 
and is far more desirable than the former. It has a bold, 
fern-shaped leaf, is very ornamental, and pretty hardy ; and 
I would advise its use when it can be obtained. I have found 
it more plentiful at Fresh Pond, near Boston, than anywhere 
else ; but have also found it in small quantities in the Passaic 
River, near Paterson, ISTew Jersey. 

Potamogeton heterophyllum and P. natans are also found 
in many of our fresh-water ponds and rivers. They are, 
however, coarse, large-leaved plants, and, though living al- 
ways submerged, are not particularly desirable, though they 
will live and thrive in the aquarium. 

Antipyretica gigantea and A. fontinalis, commonly 
called " fontinalis," are moss-like plants, of dark and light 
green shades, growing on old decayed logs, sticks, and stones, 
on the bottom of clear-running brooks, and sometimes in 
cold springs and wells, attached by a hair-like fibrous base, 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 193 

having nothing like a root. They bear a fine, feathery foli- 
age, sometimes growing to a length of two feet. I have 
found AnMpyretica high up on the mountains of New Hamp- 
shire, on one occasion at Grantham, at a height of two thou- 
sand feet above the sea-level, and growing perfectly luxuri- 
antly by the side of the mountain-rills. At these elevations 
it is sometimes left high and dry during a season of drought ; 
but such is its tenacity of life that, instead of giving up and 
dying, it seems scarcely to complain, but lives on, defying 
the scorching rays of the sun. To be sure, it turns rather 
gray under this regime / but as soon as the cooling waters of 
the brooks resume their course, this much-enduring plant 
gets back its bright color, and continues . to thrive as if evil 
vicissitudes had no power over it. Nothing can be more de- 
sirable for the decoration of a tank than masses of this 
bright, cheerful-looking plant. One variety of it is quite 
fine and the other large and coarse, thus making a contrast of 
both texture and shade, while its oxygenating qualities make 
it almost invaluable. It can be relied upon, too, through 
the whole year, which is a princely quality for an aquarium 
plant. 

Among the scores of fresh-water plants which I have had 
in my aquarium during all these years, there is no other 
which has proved nearly so satisfactory as this. The milfoil 
(Myriophyllum spieatum) perhaps comes next as a successful 
grower and aerator. It is certainly very showy when grow- 
ing well in the aquarium, and in shape much resembles a 
full-rounded plume ; but it dies away during a part of the 
year, so that it cannot be always depended upon. It usually 
grows to about a foot in height, and can generally be found 
in the ponds on Staten Island and New Jersey. Myriophyl- 
lum verticillatum, or whorled water-milfoil, much resembles 
the last-named species, though rather finer, more compact, 
and rounded ; it is not nearly so plentiful. 

Horn wort {Ceratojphyttum demersum) is much like the 



194 



THE OCEAN. 



milfoils, though perhaps of a finer foliage, and grows much 
longer. It is a very desirable plant to have, but is not so 
easily found. I have never seen it growing naturally any- 
where except in the Passaic River near Paterson, JSTew Jer- 
sey ; but I have understood from Mr. Greenwood, the aqua- 
rial merchant, that he obtains it in large quantities from 
Philadelphia. 

Many persons prefer Valisneria spiralis, or tape-grass, 
to all other plants for aquarial purposes. I like it much, and 
its growth and habits are very interesting to study. It rarely 
fails to take root and thrive in the tank. In the aquarium it 
is generally propagated by oifshoots, which push forward 
among the pebbles at the bottom of the tank. Perhaps the 




Valisnekia spiralis— St a min ate and Pistillate. 



most interesting feature in this plant is its mode of flowering. 
It bears both male and female flowers, which develop from 
separate roots. The solitary female flower is borne on a 
long, spiral-shaped stem, which reaches to the surface of the 
water, and there floats until the male flowers, which grow 
on a short, thicker stem, only reaching upward a few inches 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 195 

from the bottom, fall off, rise to tlie surface, and with the 
diffusion of their pollen fertilize the pistils of the female 
flower. The latter then coils up its long, spiral-like stem 
and draws itself beneath the water to await maturity, and in 
due season sows its ripened seeds. This plant is also interest- 
ing to microscopists, as showing very clearly the circulation 
of protoplasm within its cells. 

Ranunculus aquaticus, or water-buttercup, is not wmolly 
aquatic, but has been used quite extensively for aquarial pur- 
poses. It looks well, and even ornamental, but is not en- 
during. 

The narrow-leaved starwort (Callitriche autumnalii) is 
readily found in small, sluggish brooks and ponds, and is 
very pretty in the tank, its pale-green leaves forming a crest 
of stars on the surface of the water. But it is short-lived, 
and is liable to be stripped of its delicate leaves by the fishes, 
and thus disfigured, if not destroyed. 

Anacharis Canadensis is one of the best of plants for the 
aquarium, and grows profusely in many of the small running 
streams of New Jersey. It is probably one of the most 
luxuriant growing aquatic plants in the world. It is even 
mischievous in the rapidity of its growth, by choking and 
obstructing rivers and canals. Since its introduction into 
Europe it has increased so rapidly in several localities as to 
obstruct navigation, and cause considerable expense for dredg- 
ing and other mechanical appliances to exterminate it, or in 
attempts to reduce its exuberance. 

The white pond-lily {JSTyrwphcea odorata) is almost useless 
as an aerator, but I like it very much for the larger tanks. 
Its ample, rich green leaves floating on the surface of the 
water, afford an excellent shelter and hiding-place for many 
little animals, which would otherwise fall a prey to the fishes. 
Its beautiful, pure white efflorescence is known to almost 
every one, and remembered gratefully for its delightful per- 
fume. Though prizing it highly, I have not succeeded in 



196 THE OCEAN. 

bringing this plant to perfection in my own aquarium. I 
have, however, seen a wax flower substituted for a natural 
one, and floating among the lily-pads, so apparently at home 




White Pond-Lilt. 

that some excellent botanical connoisseurs among my dearest 
friends did not discover the deception until they endeavored 
fruitlessly to inhale its fragrance ! 

The Oalla, or common white lily, is more ornamenta] 
than useful ; but it may at discretion be arranged in the cen- 
tre of a large aquarium (none of these non-aerating plants 
should be tolerated in small tanks), where its dark, branch- 
ing leaves look very handsome raised above the water. I 
have scarcely ever brought it to flower in my own tank, but 
my sister, Miss E. E. Damon, just informs me that she has 
succeeded in making one bloom in her aquarium repeatedly 
— each season for several years. But if one has a calla lily 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 19? 

in the tank, it is useless to attempt to keep newts or tritons, 
as they will invariably climb up the stems, and end their 
career by falling over the side of the tank, where fatal acci- 




Calla ^Ethiopica. 



dents are pretty sure to overtake them before they can be 
restored to the water — especially if any representative of the 
feline race should happen to spy them. 

I/ymnanthemum lacuosum, commonly called ox-heart, so 
far as I can ascertain, is to be found exclusively in a small 
pond at Paterson, New Jersey. The leaves are a pretty 
shade of bronze or dark green, about the size of a silver dol- 
lar, though heart-shaped ; it floats in small clusters on the 
surface of the water, and from the little bunch of leaves a 
small white flower holds up a tiny, smiling countenance. Its 
mode of growth is something like that of the strawberry- 
plant, putting out a runner from the central nucleus, and at 
every few inches of departure developing a new cluster of 
leaves and roots. It looks lovely in the aquarium, and I al- 
ways consider it a special treat to possess a plant of it. 

Calamus, or common sweet-flag, is not one of the useful 



198 THE OCEAN. 

plants in the tank ; but it grows well, and, if there is room 
for it, looks very well indeed, shooting up its straight, spear- 
like branches. Put in a corner it will do no harm. 

FLOATING VEGETATION. 

Naias flexilis, or Nitilla, is one of the prettiest of the 
floating species of water-plants, and is also otherwise desir- 
able for the tank. I should always endeavor to include it in 
my collection. It grows in masses, looking something like 
a snarl of hair of a bright emerald green. It is, however, 
branched at the joints, and is a favorite subject for the micro- 
scope on account of the visible circulation of its protoplasm. 

Hiccia natans is in general appearance not unlike green 
sawdust, but on closer examination the shape of its leaves is 
found to be nearly triangular, being formed of three lobes 
branching from the central axis. I like it for the tank. 

Zemna purpusilla &ti& .Lemna trisulca, two more floaters, 
known as duckweeds, are also good plants for the aquarium ; 
for, besides their pretty appearance, their myriads of small 
floating leaves harbor thousands of minute living beings — 
small snails, and so forth — on which the larger animals may 
breakfast. 

Water-net, a plant of which I do not know the botanical 
name, is a beautiful growth, and well repays a long tramp 
to procure it. It is only to be found in still ponds, and may 
be distinguished by its light-green color and fine hair-like 
fibres, perfectly woven into finer meshes than any fishing-net 
which can be bought. 

Of the confervce which grow spontaneously, or can be in- 
troduced into the aquarium, there are several desirable species. 
They are good aerators, and often very elegant in appearance, 
sometimes stretching in graceful festoons from plant to plant, 
or forming an emerald arch across the tank. Among the list 
of those I have had are Cladophora, Hyalotheca, Draper- 
naldia glomerata, Drapernaldia nana, Tetraspora ufoqcea, 



MARINE AND FRESH- WATER AQUARIA. 199 

Hyrodyctyon litriculaPwm, BatrachospermcB, Tyndaridia 
jpectinata, Zygnema inequale, Ocillatoria pnlchella, Lyngbya 
mrescens. 

One most emphatic word of advice to the beginner is 
this : When your rocks are once arranged, let them alone. 
This advice is not new or original, but it cannot be too often 
repeated. Yon might as well go into your garden and pull 
up your plants to see if they are growing as to attempt to 
rearrange your aquarium after it is once stocked. Aquatic 
plants are just as sensitive to such disturbance as the choicest 
plants of your conservatory. Do not be discouraged if they 
look drooping for a few days ; still we repeat, Let them alone. 
It is not to be expected that they will look fresh and bright 
while they are busy at work with their roots, trying to find 
the fittest place to anchor among the pebbles. And even if 
a main stem dies from the shock of removal, or fails to be- 
come acclimated, have patience ; do not pull out the whole 
plant ; wait a little longer : very likely new stems will spring 
up, while over the old ones confervse will grow, speedily 
covering them with a delicate moss, which will assist in oxy- 
genating the water. I have had tanks, the contents of which, 
both animal and vegetable, have not been disturbed for years, 
the plants and animals being all maintained in a perfect con- 
dition of health. 

ARTIFICIAL AERATION". 

Different contrivances have been employed to effect the 
artificial aeration of aquaria ; and also to keep up a supply 
of running water, which imitates most closely the natural 
method. This can be readily accomplished in a dwelling 
supplied with pipes from an elevated reservoir. All that 
is needed is to lead a supply and waste pipe through the 
tank. Where this mode is adopted, there can be little danger 
of disease or death through lack of oxygen, unless the tank 
is unreasonably crowded. But such an arrangement will 



200 THE OCEAN. 

scarcely satisfy the aquarial student ; for, however effective, 
beautiful, and expensive this system of aeration may be, this 
is not strictly an aquarium. It is not based upon an equi- 
librium or balancing of natural processes, which alone consti- 
tutes a scientific arrangement, and adds the charm of a suc- 
cessful manipulation of natural forces under artificial condi- 
tions — a triumph of which any amateur aquarian may be 
proud. I also doubt whether the more delicate forms of 
vegetation would be developed in a tank supplied with water 
through pipes. 

Probably the best form of aeration is that now extensive- 
ly used at the New York Aquarium, namely, the introduc- 
tion of air into the tanks by aid of a steam air-pump, led 
through India-rubber tubes concealed among the rocks and 
pebbles. The effect to the spectator is very beautiful, as the 
air thus introduced at the bottom of each tank rises in the 
form of silvery globules through the water. For large pub- 
lic tanks this is an excellent plan ; indeed, the larger fish 
could scarcely be preserved without either that or running 
water ; but it is obviously not adapted to private dwellings. 

For " your own " aquarium other means must be sought ; 
and the best of all means, the true scientific and natural 
mode, which the Creator himself has adopted, is to oxygenate 
the water oy plants. No other method will keep it so clear. 
As evidence of this, I can to-day take a tumbler of water out 
of a tank that has had only the natural aeration of plants, 
which has not been meddled with for years, and in which I 
have kept all that time a large and varied assortment of ani- 
mals ; and it will equal the Croton in purity and clearness, 
and far surpass it in softness, and in living, sparkling 
brightness. 

REPLENISHING THE AQUARIUM. 

The vegetation in the tank being plentiful and healthy, 
as will be shown by its sending up innumerable small glob- 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 201 

ules of aii*, the next thing is the selection of animals — the 
necessary first, the ornamental next. The reader is particu- 
larly advised to avoid the common error of selecting too large 
fish, or too many. It is of the first importance to supply 
your tank from the start with, freshwater mollusca and Crus- 
tacea. Snails are almost a necessity. To obtain them, let 
us take a walk to the nearest rivulet. Brush your hand-net 
along the margin, grazing it against the overhanging grass 
and weeds. How readily you have obtained a number, but 
perhaps all of one kind ! You " thought all water-snails were 
alike." In that you find you were greatly mistaken ; and 
this is your first practical lesson in natural history. The 
snails you have probably got are called JPhysw, and are of all 
others best adapted to your purpose. They will consume the 
conferva which forms in the tank, mowing it from the sides 
in swaths, as the mower's scythe does the grass. There is 
but one drawback to them: their delicately-mottled shells 
are so fragile that they easily fall a prey to any of the larger 
fish which may be in the aquarium. 

Another kind is the Planorbis or trumpet-snail, which is 
also ornamental, being in form similar to the ammonites, 
so remarkable among the shells of a former epoch. The 
general belief is that it will destroy the plants ; but my own 
observation does not confirm this bad character. It is not 
often found in running streams, but is abundant in ponds, 
ditches, and low marshes. 

Next may be mentioned the I/ymneas, with a sharp, spiral, 
intensely black shell, which is the most ornamental of all. I 
cannot say much for their industry, however; they enjoy 
rest too well. The Palludinm, another variety, are useful, 
but there should not be too many of them. 

Some of the bivalves of the fresh-water mussel tribe may 
be introduced for variety, and have been growing in favor as 
cleansers. The " swan-mussel," for instance (Anodon cygneus), 
is an interesting object on account of its large size ; but a 



202 



THE OCEAN. 



handsomer kind is the TTnio radiatus, which abounds in the 
Passaic River and the ponds and streams of New Jersey. 
Some nnios are rainbow-tinted, and others are of a beantiful 
rich green. But perhaps yon will say, " They are too inert 
for an aquarium." There again you are wrong, as close ob- 
servation of your tank will prove to you. They will some- 
times travel the whole length of the tank in a few hours. 
While I write, one of them has just turned itself over with 
a jerk, and (by-the-way, it is " moving-day ! ") is evidently 
preparing to shift its quarters, proving itself a true New- 
Yorker. 

Having several times referred to the Passaic River, I will 
here mention that I have there found adhering to the Valis- 
neria, which is abundant in that river, a beautiful, small uni- 
valve, the scientific name of which I do not know. 

The crayfish or crawfish (Astacus fluviatilis) is frequently 
but erroneously called the fresh- water lobster. It is a very 




Crawfish {Astacus fluviatilis). 



interesting object in the aquarium, but cannot well be kept 
in a deep tank without elevated rock-work, by which it can 
ascend nearly or quite to the surface. It affects shallow 
brooks, and can be found in such localities on Staten Island. 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 203 

With less trouble it may also be procured from the well- 
known fish -merchant, Mr. Eugene Blackford, of Fulton 
Market, on whose marble tables specimens can be seen by 
thousands. Small ones should always be preferred for the 
tank : if too large, they will disturb the plants and loosen 
them from their anchorage. The crawfish is very fond of 
working among the pebbles at the bottom of the tank, and 
will build itself a cave most ingeniously — lifting stones much 
larger than itself in its claws, and with them building up a 
wall with great regularity in front of its hiding-place. From 
what I have seen in my own aquarium, I believe the craw- 
fish frequently leaves the water at night. Perhaps it goes 
on foraging expeditions ; for through the night, at almost 
any hour, they may be found on the dry rock in the centre 
of the tank, where they rarely appear in the daytime. It is 
altogether best to give them a separate tank if possible, as 
they are apt not only to commit depredations on the fish and 
plants, but to disturb more or less the general arrangements 
of the aquarium. 

FUESII-WATEE, REPTILES AND INSECTS. 

" Oh ! there is a lizard ! " How many times have I heard 
this exclamation, when only an innocent little triton or water- 
newt made its appearance ! True, they are somewhat lizard- 
like in form ; but the lizard is wholly a land-reptile, while 
the newt delights in the running brook. They are entirely 
innocuous, and very curious and pleasing inmates of the 
aquarium. Nothing can be more eccentric than the perform- 
ances of one of these little fellows. He is the gymnast and 
acrobat of the tank ; his antics exceed belief. Now we see 
him poising himself by one foot on a leaf, now " treading 
water " as bathers sometimes do ; then again suspended, mon- 
key-like, by his tail from the stem of a plant ; then, perhaps, 
sitting upright like a kangaroo at the bottom of the tank ; 
next, darting hither and thither in a frolicsome mood ; so 



204 THE OCEAN. 

that tlie eye never wearies of watching him. If he could 
only speak, we shonld put him on a salary as " clown " to 
the concern. But he is useful as well as entertaining, feed- 
ing upon the minute parasitical insects which injure aquatic 
plants. His progressive development is also curious ; he 
goes through eight or nine transformations of form before 
his latest and most perfect is acquired. No aquarium can be 
complete without two or three of these lively and amusing 
creatures. 

The frog, being amphibious, cannot well be kept in the 
tank, unless you have a projecting rock or floating island ; 
and then it is apt to make a bold leap for liberty, and if an 
open window is near Mr. Frog may have utterly disappeared, 
without so much as saying " G-ood-by." 

The cleansers having been duly located to keep the apart- 
ment in order, like the neokoros of the famed temples of 
Greece, the fish may be introduced ; and it will be a pleasure 
to me to make you acquainted with the 

FINNY DENIZENS OF THE AQUARIUM. 

Of these, perhaps the stickleback (G aster osteus) is the 
most interesting ; and, although I presume most of my readers 




Two-spined Stickleback (Gasterosieus liaczileatus). 

have already read accounts of his doings, I cannot altogether 
omit a description of him, without leaving these pages incom- 
plete. There are several species of sticklebacks, varying in 
size and form, and in the number of their spines ; but they 
are all pretty and interesting creatures, and well suited for 



MARINE AND FRESH- WATER AQUARIA. 205 

the aquarium. The smaller kinds abound in the creeks and 
ditches of the Jersey meadows, and the larger kinds (which 
will breed freely in the tank) are found in the shoal waters 
of the East River and in the creeks on Long Island. They 
are all, the latter especially, pugnacious little fellows, and 
quickly become the tyrants of the miniature ocean of their 
prison. They prefer brackish water, but will live in fresh ; 
the small-tailed or nine-spined variety is least adapted for the 
latter. 

In the breeding-season the male stickleback is more than 
usually disputatious, and will successfully assail fishes five 
times his own size and weight. At this period, too, he as- 
sumes colors more gorgeous than my pen can paint, while 
his little eyes glitter like emeralds. When building his nest, 
which he does with all the care and precision of the most 
skillful bird, he is peculiarly excitable. He is an aquatic 
representative of Mormonism, being a decided polygamist. 
When his nest is completed, both an entrance and an exit 
are provided for. Into the former he drives the female ; 
and, at that moment, so intense is his excitement that his 
brilliant hues forsake him, and he absolutely turns pale, or 
silvery white. The spawn and milt are both deposited in 
this tunnel-like nest, as the male and female fish pass through 
the aperture. Then the male takes up his position at the 
entrance, " standing guard " with most praiseworthy perse- 
verance ; and by a rapid motion of his pectoral fins, back- 
ward and forward, a perfect current is created, which flows 
through and over the eggs. Over these he keeps vigilant 
watch for ten or twelve days ; there are hundreds of them in 
one nest, and were they all pearls they would not be so pre- 
cious to our little stickleback as are these small glutinous 
masses from which the young fish will now appear. But 
his fatherly care is not yet ended ; for eight or ten days 
longer he continues to watch with the most intense solici- 
tude, keeping them from straying, which should any of them 



206 



THE OCEAN. 




Sticklebacks building theie Nests. 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 207 

do, lie may be seen talcing them up as carefully in his mouth 
as a cat would her kittens, and restoring them to their home 
in the nest. The breeding-season of the stickleback begins 
in January or February. To raise them in confinement, it is 
much the best to give them a tank to themselves. The male 
is very ravenous, his food consisting mainly of small insects, 
chrysalids, and young fish emerging from the spawn. He 
will also take worms or a bit of meat scraped very fine. 

Gold and silver fish live well in the aquarium, but the 
smallest size should be selected for the purpose ; large fish 
will not thrive unless the tank is artificially aerated. 

The white perch is a very beautiful inmate of our parlor 
ponds. The same rule about selecting the smaller specimens 
should be observed here also; and this general maxim in 
regard to fish cannot be too strongly impressed upon the 
amateur aquarianist. The white perch is plentiful in the 
Passaic, and can be easily tamed so as to feed from the 
hand, as indeed can most fish. The perch likes worms. 
There are other varieties of the perch family, all beautiful, 
but somewhat dangerous company for other fishes. 




American Bee am ob Sunfish (Pomotis 'vulgaris). 

You would better avoid the common sunfish, unless very 
small. He is beautiful, but an assassin of most murderous 
habits. Have nothing to do with him, notwithstanding 
his beauty. There is another variety of sunfish, however, 



208 THE OCEAN. 

called the rock-sun, which is an excellent inmate of the tank. 
He is richly marked all over with gold, silver, and bronze, 
and is of a most harmless disposition ; one conld scarcely 
believe that he belongs to the same family as his namesake 
described above. 

Of the dace tribe, there are the red-fin, the white-fin, 




"*\ 



Black-nosed Dace {Argyreus atronasus). 



and the striped — all desirable fish for the tank. The pike 
if very small — not above two inches in length — will do ; but 
beyond that size he is a dangerous fellow. 




Common Pike {Esox reiiculatus). 

Eels are ornamental when small, their wavy lines and 
undulating motions offering a pleasing variety ; but they are 
very destructive of snails, and are better dispensed with. 

A very pleasant and lively little fellow is the common 
minnow ; and the " barred killia-fish " is exquisitely beauti- 
ful as well as active. 

Among other suitable fishes is the rock-fish. It has a 
beautiful and graceful form and curious geometrical mark- 
ings; and, on account of certain peculiarities, the unusual 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 



209 



shape of its caudal fin, and other points, it was a particular 
object of scientific interest to the late Prof. Agassiz. 

The black bass (not the lake-bass) is a neat, bright, harm- 
less little fish, always improving on close acquaintance. 

The common catfish is not amiss, if he is not permitted 
to grow too large. His bearded chin and curious form are 
very attractive when he chooses to show himself. In the 




Catfish or Horned Pout (JPimelodus atrarius). 

daytime he is apt to hide himself among the rocks ; but he 
never fails to come out on his evening prowl for food. 

The " tessellated darter " may be admitted. He is a sly 
fellow, and will lie on the bottom of the tank as if fast asleep ; 
but, if any suitable prey is passing, out he darts with a sud- 
den spring as lively as if sleep was a thing unknown to him. 

The small-sized trout is very beautiful, but delicate for 
the aquarium ; and, if he does live, he soon proves danger- 




Speckled Trout (Salmo fontinalis). 



210 



THE OCEAN. 



The tadpole, though not belonging to the " finny tribe," 
may as well be mentioned here. He must by no means be 
omitted from our collection, for he is one of the " funny " 
little creatures. With his big, fat, lazy head, and smart little 
tail, he goes about the tank, apparently so happy, not mind- 
ing confinement in the least, until he is gradually transformed 
into a frog, when he becomes a more serious member of the 




Eight Stages of the Development of the Tadpole, from the recently hatched (1) 
to the adult form (8). 



family, and might better be dismissed. But the change itself 
is very interesting to watch. In his transformations his last 
legs appear first, and his first or fore legs last. " But what 
about that lively tail ? " "Well, its wiggle-waggle has become 
gradually fainter, and moves in more sober mood than in his 
greener days ; more surprising still, it appears to be van- 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 211 

ishing ! Where it goes to it is hard to see, but finally it 
disappears — actually all absorbed into the body, which is no 
longer tadpole, but plain frog! Poor "tad" used to be of 




Common Feos (Rana temporaria). 

some use, too, for he was a splendid scavenger, and helped 
to clean the glass with his thick, fleshy lips. Give the little 
" tads " a home. 

The caddis-worm, the larva of the caddis-fly, of the fam- 
ily of Phryganida, you will find on the bottom of running 
brooks, nicely incased in his house of sticks, stones, and 
sand, and sometimes of leaves. He is an interesting little 
creature, and sometimes builds his house in such a queer 
way that you are sure to want to be better acquainted with 
him. A large number of their eggs — probably hundreds 
of them — were once hatched out in one of my glasses ; and, 
before the young were twelve hours old, each had built a 
house over its tiny body, and was carrying it about almost 
as well as the older members of the family. They stick 
these particles together by a cement which they secrete from 
their own bodies, and the inside of this little tube or case is 
covered with a silky lining, from which they stick out their 



212 THE OCEAN. 

heads and fore-feet when moving abont. Should the case 
when completed prove too light, so as to be inclined to float, 
they fasten on an extra stone to weigh it down. 

SALT OR FRESH % 

Should you ask me which to choose, a salt-water or a 
fresh- water aquarium, I should reply, Both. "But this is 
not answering the question." Certainly not, nor can I an- 
swer it conclusively; for each has its peculiar advantages 
and special attractions. However, in point of rare and curi- 
ous objects, undoubtedly the salt-water is the more prolific ; 
but it is perhaps a little more difficult to manage, and some 
of the most desirable curiosities cannot be either so cheaply 
or easily procured as stock for the fresh-water tank. Prob- 
ably an amateur would succeed best with the latter, at least 
until he has fully mastered both the principle and practice 
of the aquarian art. To stock a salt-water aquarium hand- 
somely involves considerable time if undertaken indepen- 
dently, and expense if procured by purchase. There are, 
however, many very interesting objects which may be easily 
and cheaply obtained ; and of these I will first speak. 

SALT-WATER AQUARIUM. 

The water would better be pure sea-water, not taken in 
a brackish state at half -tide, when there is certain to be a 
large amount of foreign matter held in solution, and the 
saline property is weakened by the mingling of fresh-water 
streams. But if circumstances permit your going farther 
out, and you get your salt-water from the Bay or the East 
Eiver, by all means consult the time-table, and let your dip 
for the precious fluid be as near full flood-tide as possible, or 
a little before, not after, for the former is when the sea-water 
is running in. I have many times used this water with per- 
fect success ; and I have understood that specimens of water 
taken from around Hell Gate have been carefully analyzed 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 213 

and found to be ninety-six per cent, pure, and in density 
about the same as water taken from the locality of the light- 
ship at Sandy Hook. 

There are formulse for the manufacture of artificial sea- 
water which are well spoken of in the English works on this 
subject, but I have never tried any of them. I imagine 
there are conditions and occult combinations in ocean-water 
which no art can fully reach. I know, however, a resident 
of Cincinnati, Ohio, who has used, and is still using, artificial 
sea- water with very good results. He has a number of salt- 
water algge and animals in a perfectly healthy condition in 
his tanks. 1 The principle upon which the marine aquarium 
is based and managed is the same as for the fresh- water, here- 
tofore explained. 

The aeration is a very simple matter, for the means are 
abundant. The common sea-lettuce ( Ulva latissima), which 
is washed up on every beach, is the best and really the only 
necessary vegetation for the salt-water aquarium. Nothing 
can be more beautiful either in color, texture, or form ; and 
it will grow floating as well as rooted. A handful of the 
loose leaves picked up on the shore will, if clean, begin the 
work of aeration as soon as they are placed in the tank. 
The only objection to these loose fragments is, that they do 
not remain stationary. But we are not obliged to use them, 
for there are thousands of oyster-shells, pebbles, and small 

1 For the benefit of those who may live far away from the sea-shore, I will 
give Mr. Gosse's formula for making artificial sea-water, which is probably as 

good as any in use : 

Parts. 

Common table-salt 81 

Epsom salts 7 

Chloride of magnesium . .10 

Chloride of potassium 2 

Total 100 

One pound of this mixture carefully dissolved in water, and then filtered, will 
make about three gallons of sea-water. 



214 THE OCEAN. 

pieces of rock, to be found on any beach, covered with the 
younger forms of the same sea-weed, which can be arranged 
picturesquely and permanently in the tank, and which will 
supply oxygen freely. Other algse may be added to beau- 
tify and vary the effect. Indeed, a perfectly gorgeous ap- 
pearance may be produced by the many-colored and delicate 
algse. It was formerly believed that the red, being mostly 
deep-sea plants, could not with safety be introduced into the 
aquarium ; but experience, that faithful teacher, has proved 
the unsoundness of that belief. As with the fresh, so with 
the salt-water tank, it is best to introduce your vegetation a 
few days before you stock it with animals. I will mention 
some of the many varieties of algae that have grown in my 
aquaria at different periods, many of which, however, I do 
not recommend, as the aquarium is safer without them. 

Besides the Ulva latissima already mentioned, we have 
the JJ. lima, U. intestinalis, Enteromorpha compressa, Cla- 
dophora reflecta, and the Grenella Americana, bright red, 
ribbon-like, and, if collected while it is young, very good for 
the tank ; Porphyra lacinata, royal purple, rich and beauti- 
ful, and as dangerous as it is pretty ; Chondrus crispas, com- 
monly called Irish moss, the plant so extensively used in 
commerce, which is a valuable addition if young and small 
specimens are used; Phodymenia palmata andi?. laciniata, 
both red plants. The Solieria chordalis is of a brilliant 
crimson color, with round, wire-shaped branches, growing 
profusely on shells and stones in a few fathoms of water ; 
this is one of the few that should never be dispensed with. 
Dasya elegans is one of the most ornamental of ocean-plants, 
of a soft, feather-like shape and texture, but not safe for the 
aquarium. Ceramium fastigiatum is one of the most beau- 
tiful objects to look at with a strong lens that can be imag- 
ined ; dried and pressed on paper, it is one of the choicest. 
Callithamnium byssoidium is not very hardy. Polysiphonia 
parasitica and P. nigrescens can be almost always found near 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 215 

the shore, and are about the first plants which yon may ex- 
pect to appear in your tank, whether you put them there or 
not ; for some of the seeds or spores are nearly sure to be 
contained in the sea-water. They belong to a family of sea- 
weeds numbering over three hundred known varieties. Cla- 
dqphora arcta is a fine, soft, silky green plant, growing in 
little tufts, appearing on the shore at early spring, and always 
tempts the amateur, saying by its seductive charms, " Try 
me ; " but my advice is, Beware. Ptilota elegans, one of 
the pretty red weeds with beautiful feathered fronds, makes 
a fine contrast with the greens. Delesseria sanguinea and 
D. Americana are two of the most beautiful sea-weeds to be 
found upon our shore, and will do very nicely for the aqua- 
rium during the cold season. 

Of specimens obtained in the Bermudas, I have had 
growing Aeetdbularia crenulata, Caulerpa plumaris, Zona- 
ria, Halimeda, Padina pavonia, Bostrychia seorpioides, 
and Penicillus eapitates, a very pretty tree-like form. 

Supposing that we have our plants arranged and in good 
working (i. e., oxygen-producing) order, we are now ready 
for the animals, and will begin with the 

. MOLLTTSKS AND CRUSTACEA. 

The choice of mollusks is greater for the salt-water than 
for the fresh-water aquarium. Their use is the same. The 
common salt-water snails — as we shall have to call them — 
are to be counted by millions on almost every beach ; they 
are good workers, and in my eyes beautiful creatures. They 
occupy themselves almost entirely with devouring the con- 
f ervoid formations on the sides of the tank ; but I know by 
observation that they are also useful scavengers of animal 
matter. If your fishes chance to have been over fed, the 
snails will eat up the fragments. The periwinkles (Littorina 
jpalliata and L. rudis), whose natural food is decayed vege- 
tation, can be used with advantage. But the whelks {Bug- 



216 THE OCEAN. 

cinum) are probably the most active of all, as they will con- 
sume all decayed animal matter as well as the confervoid 
growth. It is an interesting sight, if yon have a proper glass, 
to watch these little creatures at work. With their scythe- 
like tongues they mow away the fine growth of algae in per- 
fect swaths, until the whole glass is swept clean ; the shell 
of the whelk is a favorite dwelling for the smaller hermit- 
crabs, as described on page 100. The Tritia trivittata is a 
pretty spiral - shaped shell, found upon the sandy shores 
of Long Island ; it is quite useful for the tank, and also 
ornamental. The Anachis similis and Cerithiopsis tere- 
bralis are almost invaluable for a small tank. Beware of 
the Urosaljpinx cinerea, commonly called "the drill" (de- 
scribed on page 44) ; it is interesting, but may prove an 
expensive luxury to harbor. The scallop exceeds all in 
beauty, but its life is somewhat precarious in an aquarium ; 
its richly-tinted, corrugated shell alone is an ornament, but 
the inmate is beautiful beyond description. The Mytilus 
edulis or common mussel, Modiola jolicaiula and M. modio- 
lus, My a truncata, Venus mercenaria, Grepidula fomicata, 
Anomia glabra, and Argina pexata, have already been de- 
scribed, and many more might be given; but the above- 
named number of mollusks is quite sufficient, and they are 
all available for the tank. 




Fiddleb-Ckab {Gelasimus vocans), 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 217 

Among Crustacea, I would mention the hermit-crab (see 





m 



,y' 



King oe Hoeseshoe Ceab.— 1 . Lower surface ; 2. Upper surface. 

Chapter VIII.), which is most interesting. Any number of 




Hoesesuoe-Ceab in Teouble (Limulus polypkemus). 

specimens can be obtained among the rocks and sea- weed at 



218 THE OCEAN. 

low tide. If well, the hermit-crab is full of life and activity, 
he runs along the bottom of the tank, and climbs the rocks, 
if there are any, with surprising rapidity. The whole race, 
however, belongs to the "fighting brigade." Just watch 
him ! He is also a good scavenger. Do not use the fiddler- 
crab, for he is not wholly an aquatic animal ; if you shut 
him up in your tank, he will revenge himself on you by 
dying and thus causing trouble. The common edible or 
blue crab, if very small, may be introduced " with care." 
The small lady or land crab, and the modest rock-crab, 
are acquisitions, being good-natured and harmless. And 
last, but not least, procure a few of those interesting little 
horseshoe - crabs (Polyphemus Americcmus) ; they may be 
found half covered with sand on Coney Island. 

The common sand or silver shrimp lives well in the aqua- 
rium, and is one of the most graceful creatures imaginable. 




Common Shrimp {Crangon vulgaris). 



Remember that all Crustacea need feeding regularly ; a small 
piece of raw meat, cut fine, suits them as well as anything. 

ZOOPHYTES. 

Here we enter into the exclusive domain of the salt-water 
aquaria, and upon the class of objects most difficult to ob- 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 219 

tain. First of this class are the Actiniae or sea-anemones, 
described in Chapter II. They are properly called flower- 
shaped animals, thongh it was long doubted whether they 
were animals. There is a certain class of sea-anemones which 
can be obtained among the rocks when the tide is out, but 
only a practised eye would detect them ; for, though they 
will be in full bloom when covered by the water, when de- 
serted by the friendly wave they look only like slimy accu- 
mulations upon the rock. But when you have once learned 
to recognize them, there is no further difficulty — except 
to get them. This is not always a very easy matter, and 
practice alone will make you expert in detaching them from 
the rock. Indeed, this is always more or less hazardous, 
because it is at their base that they are most easily injured, 
and often fatally by the inexperienced. The best way when 
collecting them is to supply yourself with a hammer such as 
geologists use, and split off the piece of rock to which they 
adhere. A very pretty, small, white variety can be found 
at Gowanus Bay, and a deep, rich orange - colored one at 
Hell Gate. I have found them here so thick upon the rocks 
that the surface would be entirely covered. Sometimes they 
fix themselves upon a piece of brick, as many as two hun- 
dred young ones perhaps together; or the sole of an old 
shoe may be their resting-place. These will live well and 
multiply in the aquarium. The larger and finer anemones, 
and those of the most beautiful and varied colors, are ob- 
tained only in deep water, and generally by dredging. Some 
of these are truly gorgeous ; but about the best suited for 
the tank is the Actinia mese?nbryanthemum, which comes 
from the Bermuda Islands, and can almost always be had at 
the aquarial store of Mr. Greenwood. Its" color varies from 
a deep blood-red to a delicate scarlet.. It never grows to 
more than an inch and a half in diameter, and multiplies 
readily in the tank during the winter. Sea-anemones can 
be safely carried in a basket, if packed in wet sea-weed. 



220 THE OCEAN. 

Like all inmates of the aquarium, they should be regularly 
fed, as no tank would naturally supply sufficient food such 
as they require. I generally feed mine with pieces of clams, 
but any finely-cut raw meat will do. If I wish to " treat 
them " and give them a sort of Thanksgiving dinner ; I get 
some of those little crabs which are found in oysters ; and 
these they cannot resist even when not hungry. They re- 
main closed for some time after feeding, to bloom, however, 
after the food is digested with fresh vigor and beauty. I 
think enough has been told about sea -anemones ; like all 
natural objects, only study and observation will enable you 
thoroughly to appreciate them. 

SEEPUL^l AND HYDROIDS. 

There is a class of remarkable animals known as annelids, 
which are great acquisitions to the salt-water aquarium, but 
which should be introduced with caution and watched with 
vigilance. The proper care of them requires considerable 
experience. The Serpulm form contorted cellular tubes en 
masse, to which fishermen give the name of " clinkers," sup- 
posing them to be pieces of clinkered coal which have been 
acted upon by salt-water. These cells, however, are inhab- 
ited by gayly-colored, lively animals, as described fully in 
Chapter IV. Another interesting and valuable specimen 
for our tank is the Tubular ia indivisa, unquestionably 
one of the most beautiful things which the sea produces. 
The groups formed by it can sometimes be found at Hell 
Gate, but are not always conveniently situated so as to be 
got at and removed with safety. To those only who explore 
the bed of the ocean are all its wonders revealed ; but enough 
of this class of objects has been described in these pages to 
enable any one to make a fine selection for a sea-water aqua- 
rium. 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 221 

THE MOST DESIRABLE FISHES. 

First, as with fresh water, so with salt — the smaller the 
fish, the better. Just brush your hand-net along the margin 
of that eel-grass, about a foot below the surface, and examine 
its contents without taking it wholly out of the water. I 
suspected as much ! Those delicate, semi-transparent, silvery- 
striped shearings are indeed a treasure for your aquarium. 
I fear, however, you will find them, as most exquisitely beau- 
tiful things are, but short-lived. Expose them to the air as 
little as possible in transferring them to your " collection- 
pail," for they are very sensitive. The common belief that 
they will die if they leave their natural element and breathe 
the air but for a moment, is, however, erroneous. But 
"handle them tenderly, lift them with care," for they are 
worth it. 

What else have you ? Ah ! those chubby little fellows, 
with their bars of emerald on a shield of gold, are sheeps- 
head (Lebias) — the best fish for the marine aquarium that I 
know of. They are vegetarians, with an insatiable appe- 
tite, and forage freely on your sea-lettuce and the delicate 
algse ; but never mind, the Lebias is just as much at home 
in the tank as in the vasty deep, and you may keep him till 
he dies of old age ; and he is beautiful as he is hardy. 

And a young flounder, too ! Good again. But if you 
mean to preserve him in health, you must indulge him with 
a sand-bank in which to lie and to burrow. And an infantile 
blackfish ! Yes, he will do admirably ; for he is a tough 
little chap, and is marked so prettily with black and white. 
A young bergall is a fine addition to your catch ; he will 
glide in and out among your rock-work as independently 
and gracefully as if he owned the whole aquarium. And 
there's a pipe-fish ! "Well, he's curious if not handsome : 
drop him in the pail. But that frost-fish — let him go. If 
- you transfer him to the handsomest aquarium that ever was 



222 



THE OCEAN. 



made, lie will not content himself, but will sulk and refuse 
to eat, and will consequently die, as you, dear reader, would 
if persisting in such a refusal. 




Ameeican Flounder (Platessa plana). 

My pet of all pets I leave to the last — the little sea- 
horse, described in Chapter IX. If you once have one 
of these under your eye, you will never wish to be with- 



1 



Sea-Hoese looking foe Food. 



MARINE AND FRESH-WATER AQUARIA. 223 

out them ; and yet they are delicate, and there is no telling 
how long — or rather how short — a time yon may be able to 
keep them. But " a thing of beauty is a joy forever," to 
memory if not to sight; so, if you can obtain one, don't 
deny yourself the pleasure for fear it will not last. 

" Under bright rainbows of perpetual showers, 
God's gardens of the deep 
His patient angels keep ; 
Gladdening the dim strange solitude 
With fairest forms, and thus 
Forever teaching us." 

And now it is time to close these pages, and to say to 
the reader who has accompanied me to the end : Farewell. 
Or, rather, shall it be au revoir f May I not hope that some 
who have perused this little book will have become suf- 
ficiently interested in the objects described, not only to wish 
to possess them, but to obtain them personally — seeking 
such as may be found in our vicinity in their native re- 
treats ? Shall we meet then, reader, perchance on the Coney 
Island shore (now Manhattan Beach), or on some rocky pro- 
jection of the East River, or, may hap,, on the Hackensack or 
Passaic, and, in the spirit of brotherhood which the study of 
Nature engenders, compare our respective " finds," and re- 
joice with each other over some new treasure discovered ? 
If not, I shall hope that at least my experience and sugges- 
tions may be of use to those interested in aquarial objects ; 
that they may encourage some, who have failed, to "try 
again ; " and that it may save from loss and disappointment 
some amateur just beginning to make collections. 

To the more advanced aquarianist, possibly my per- 
sonal experience may not prove wholly useless ; and if the 
reader, of any class, has enjoyed the perusal of this book, 
and learned to love my little pets, I ask no further recom- 
pense. 



APPENDIX. 

ROW TO COLLECT AND PRESERVE ALQJS. 

The best manner to gather marine plants to be sent 
abroad is to take them from the rocks at low water, and dry 
them in the shade. Then pack them in paper or muslin 
bags, and mark the locality, day of the month and year, in 
plain letters. In gathering plants, always take them with 
the roots when yon can ; and never, on any account, let the 
plants (if marine) be placed in fresh water, in which they 
lose their color and soon decay. It is a good plan to gather 
in mass the plants as they are thrown up from the sea and 
cast ashore, and examine them carefully at leisure, as many 
rare and beautiful specimens grow in deep water. If you 
wish to preserve them on the spot, provide yourself with 
paper and small pieces of white muslin, and float them out 
in sea-water, taking care to cover each specimen with a piece 
of muslin ? and over this a sheet of blotting-paper before 
putting on any pressure. In this manner you can preserve 
many specimens together without injury. It is well to pre- 
pare the delicate specimens on the spot, as they decay very 
soon. The large, coarse specimens are always best preserved 
by being hung up to dry in the shade, and when nearly dry 
they will be ready to pack away in paper or muslin bags. 
Do not discard specimens that are coarse and ugly, as they 
often have minute parasites attached to them of great in- 
terest to the botanist ; and frequently plants that look like 
decayed specimens are rare and valuable to the algologist. 
Collect everything in the shape of a plant that grows in the 
water, and preserve them, as they will be of interest. 



INDEX. 



Acanthus, or Surgeon-Fish, 54. 

Acorn Barnacles, 129. 

Actinoids, 7. 

Agassiz, Professor, Letter about Bermuda 

Fish, 56. 
Anemones, Sea, 7. 

Adamsia, 14, 8T. 

Cnidse, or Lasso-Cells of, 12. 

Dianthus, 10, 16. 

Dahlia, 10. 

Eyes of, 11. 

Globe-horn, 18. 

Mantle, 87. 

Mesembryanthemum, 11. 

Metridium marginatum, 8, 11. 

Parasitic, 14, 17. 

Reproduction of, 15, 16. 

Sagartia rosea, 10, 18. 

Sand-Pintlet, 18. 

The Birth of, 15. 

Vestlet, 18. 

Wartlet, 10. 
Animals for Marine Aquaria, 215-222. 
Algse, 214, 215. 

Preservation of, 224. 
Anachis similis, 42, 216. 
Anacharis Canadensis, 195. 
Angler, 113. 
Angel-Fish, 56. 
Annelida, 34. 
Annelid Mason, 41. 
Anomia glabra, 95. 
Antipyretica gigantea, 192. 

fontinalis, 192. 
Antipathes subpinnata, 28. 
Aquaria, Fluviatile and Marine, 180. 
Aquatic Vegetation, 192. 
Architeuthis princeps, 69. 



Area, 92. 

Argina pexata, 92. 

Argyreiose, 118. 

Artificial Aeration, 1S5, 199. 

Sea- Water, 213. 
Astrangia, 22. 
Astrsea pallida, 31. 
Astracanthion, 133, 135. 
Astrophyton, 146. 

Baird, Professor, Eemarks about the Giant 

Squid, 68. 
Barnacles, 126. 
Batrachospermae, 199. 
Batrachus tau, 112. 
Balloon-Fish, 119, 120. 
Basket-Fish, 146. 
Beluga catodon, 170. 
Bermuda Fishes, 55. 
Bergall, 221. 

Birth of the Anemone, 15. 
Bivalve Shells, 85. 
Black-Fish, 121. 
Black Bass, 209. 
Bloody Clam, 92. 
Blue Crab, 52. 
Boat-Shell, 96. 
Boroes, 153. 
Botryllus violaceous, 98. 
Brittle Star-Fish, 146. 
Bride, the, 58. 
Brj^ozoa, 158. 
Buccina, 52, 139. 
Buttercup, "Water, 195. 

Caddis- Worm, 211. 
Calamus, 197. 
Calla Lily, 196. 



226 



INDEX. 



Callitriche autumnalis, 195. 

Campanularians, 151, 157. 

Cancer cranium morta, 64. 

Capture of the Devil- Fish, 70. 

Capture of the White Whale, 173. 

Caryophylliacas, 18. 

Catfish, 209. 

Cerithiopsis terebrans, 42, 216. 

Ceratophyllum demersum, 193. 

Chastopleura, 97. 

Chelonia viridis, 124. 

Chiton, 97. 

Cirrhopoda, 127. 

Citrina, 37. 

Cladophora, 198. 

Clam, Common Soft, 94. 

Common Hard, 95. 

Giant, 84. 
Cnidse, 12. 
Cod, 122. 

Confervse in the Aquarium, 191, 198. 
Coral, Living, 19. 

Black, 28. 

Growth of, 24. 

Solidification of, 29. 

Astrsea, 31. 
Corallhim rubrum, 27, 28. 

nigrescens, 28. 
Coryne mirabilis, 156. 
Cow-Fish, 62. 
Crab, Grave-digger, 64. 

Blue, 52. 

Eock, 218. 

Hermit, 100. 

Horseshoe or King, 218, 

Spider, 49. 

Soft-shell, 52. 

Hunting in Bermuda, 64 
Cray or Crawfish, 202. 
Crepidula fornicata, 96. 
Crustacea, 42. 
Cuttle-Fish, 78. 

Bone, 78. 
Cyanea capillata, 163. 

Dace, 208. 

Dancing Scallops, 47. 

Date-Shell, 85. 

Decorating Crab, 49. 

Devil-Fish, 66. 

Doctor- or Surgeon-Fish, 54. 

Drapernaldia glomerata, 198. 



Drapernaldia nana, 198. 
Drill, the, 44. 
Duckweeds, 198. 

Echinoids, 141. 

Echinarachnius, 144. 

Edible Mussel, 92. 

Edible Crab, 52. 

Eels, 208. 

Eggs of Caddis- Worm, 211. 

of Stickleback, 205. 

of Natica, 43. 

of Skate, 118. 

of Anachis, 43. 

of Octopus, 77. 

of Purpura lapillus, 44. 

of Buccina, 53. 

of Cuttle-Fish, 79. 

of Squid, 80. 

of Star-Fish, 137. 
Enteromorpha compressa, 214 
Eyes of Sea-Anemone, 11. 
Eye-Stone, 45. 

Feeding Coral-Polyps, 27. 

Sea-Anemones, 15. 

the White Whale, 175. 

the Seal, 177. 
Fishing Frog, 114. 
Fishing in Bermuda, 60. 
Fish-Traps, 60. 
Flounder, 221. 
Floating Vegetation, 198. 
Fontinalis, 192. 
Formula for Sea-Water, 213. 
Formation of the Aquarium, 9, 12. 
Pour-eyed Fish, 58. 
Fragilis, Spongia, 168. 
Fresh- Water Aquaria, 1S9. 

Eeptiles and Insects, 203. 
Frog, 204, 211. 
Frost-Fish, 221. 

Gases in water, 184. 
Giant Clam, 91. 

Squid, 68. 
Gold-Fish, 207. 
Goose Barnacles, 127. 
Great Sun-Fish, 121. 
Green Turtle, 125. 
Green Maray, 61. 
Grenella Americana, 214. 



INDEX. 



227 



Grouper, the, 56. 
Growth of Coral, 29. 

Haddock, 122. 

Hair-finned Argyreiose, 118. 

Hammer-headed Shark, 115. 

Hawksbill Turtle, 124. 

Hectocotylus of Octopus, 76. 

Hemitripterus Americanus, 113. 

Hermit-Crab, 100. 

Hippocampus Hudsonius, 107. 

Holacanthus ciliaris, 56. 

Holocentum longipenne, 59. 

Holothuria, or Sea-Cucumber, 148. 

Homarus Americanus, 51. 

Home-made Tanks, 187. 

Hornwort, 193. 

House-hunting by the Hermit-Crab, 102. 

House-Builders, 33. 

Hyalotheca, 198. 

Hydroids, 150. 

Hydractinia polyclina, 158. 

Hyrodyctyon utriculatum, 199. 

Irradians, Pecten, 46. 

Jelly-Fish, 150. 
Jingle- Shell 95. 

Killia-Fish, 208. 
King-Fish, 121. 

Larva of Teredo, 96. 
Lasso-Threads, 12. 
Lebias, 221. 
Lemna purpusilla, 198. 

trisulka, 198. 
Libinia canaliculata, 49. 
Lily, Calla, 196. 

White Pond, 195. 

Ox-heart, 197. 
Littorina, 54. 
Living Coral, 19. 

Astrangia,22, 23. 

Occulina, 23. 



Lobster, Common, 51. 
Loligo vulgaris, 80. 
Lophius piscatorius, 113. 
Lump-Fish, 122. 
Lunatia heros, 43. 
Lycoris fucata, 90. 



Lymnanthemum lacuosum, 197. 
Lyngbya virescens, 199. 

Macciotta, 6 
Madrepora aspera, 30. 
Maray, Green, 61. 

Spotted, 61. 
Marine Aquarium, 212. 
Marine Plants for the Aquarium, 214, 215. 

Animals for the Aquarium, 215-222. 
Medusa?, or Jelly-Fish, 150. 
Milfoil, 193. 
Modiola plicatula, 93. 

modiolus, 94. 
Mollusca, 42, 82. 
Mussel, Edible, 92. 

Modiola modiolus, 94. 

Plicatula, 93. 

Swan, 201. 

Anodon, 201. 
Mya arenaria, 94. 
Myriophyllum spicatum, 193. 

verticillatum, 193. 
Mytilus edulis, 92. 

Naias, 198. 

Natica, 43. 

Nereis, 41. 

Newt, 203. 

Nitilla flexilis, 198. 

Nymphasa odorata, 195. 

Ocean Architects, 34. 
Oceania, 153. 
Ocillatoria pulchella, 199. 
Octopus, 66. 

Young of, 77. 
Operculum, 36, 45. 
Ophiurans, 145. 
Ostracion sexcornutus, 62. 
Ox-heart Lily, 197. 
Oysters, 90. 

Pagurus longicarpus, 100. 
Paper Nautilus, 73. 
Parrot-Fish, 63. 
Peacock-Fish, 58. 
Pearly Nautilus, 72. 
Pecten, 46. 
Pegasua volans, 112. 
Periwinkle, 54. 
Physalia, 160. 



228 



INDEX. 



Phoca vitulina, 176. 

Pholas, 85, 92. 

Pilot-Fish, 221. 

Pipe-Fish, 221. 

Plants for the Marine Aquarium, 214, 215. 

for the Fresh-Water Aquarium, 192. 
Polyphemus Ameiicanus, 218. 
Pond-Weed, 192. 
Porcupine-Fish, 120. 
Porifera, 167. 
Porphyra lacinata, 214. 
Portuguese Man-of-War, 159. 
Potamogeton, 192. 

densum, 192. 

crispum, 192. 

heterophyllum, 192. 

natans, 192. 
Preservation of Algae, 224. 
Precious Coral, 28. 
Puffer, or Swell-Fish, 122. 
Purpura lapillus, 44. 

Quahog Clam, 79. 

Kambles of an Aquarianist, 185. 
Eanunculus aquaticus, 195. 
Eay, or Skate, 117. 
Eeplenishing the Aquarium, 200. 
Eeproduction of Coral Polyps, 25, 31. 

of Sea-Anemones, 15, 16. 

of Star-Fish, 137. 

of Arms of the Octopus, 76. 
Eeptiles and Insects, 203. 
Eiccia natans, 198. 
Eock-Fish, 208. 
Eudder-Fish, 123. 

Sabella, 38. 

Salt- Water Aquarium, 212. 

Sand-Dollar, or Sand-Cake, 144. 

Sarsia, 156. 

Saxicava rugosa, 87. 

Scallop, 46. 

Scarus turchesius, 63. 

Sea-Cucumber, 148. 

Horse, 107. 

Anemones, 7. 

Lettuce, 213. 

Eaven, 113. 

Urchin, or Sea-Egg, 141, 142. 

Mouse, 123. 
Seal, 176. 



Sepia officinalis, 78. 
Serpent-Star, 145. 
Serpula, 34. 
Sertularia argentea, 154. 

pumila, 155. 
Shedding of Crab, 50. 
Shell-Turtle, 124. 
Sheepshead (Lebias), 221. 
Ship-Worm, 87. 
Shrimp, 218. 
Skate, or Eay, 117. 
Snails, 201. 
Soldier-Crab, 100. 
Spearings, 221. 
Spirorbis, 37. 
Sponges, 1C6. 
Squid, 80. 
Squill, 123. 
Squirrel-Fish, 59. 
Star-Fish, 94, 133. 

Brittle, 145. 
Starwort, 195. 
Starting an Aquarium, 201. 
Stickleback, 204, 205. 

building its Nest, 205. 
Stillata, 37. 

Stinging Powers of Coral Polyps, ! 
Sturgeon, 121. 
Sun-Fish, Ocean, 121. 

Common, 207. 

Eock, 208. 
Surgeon-Fish, 54. 

Tadpole, 210. 

Tautog, or Black-Fish, 121. 
Teredo navalis, 87. 
Tesselated Darter, 209. 
Tetraspora ulvacea, 198. 
Toad-Fish, 112. 
Tridacna gigas, 84. 
Tritia trivittata, 216. 
Trout, Speckled, 209. 
Tubularia, 157, 220. 
Turris neglecta, 152. 
Turtle, Hawksbill, 124. 

Green, 125. 
Tyndaridia pectinata, 199. 

Ulva latissima, 213. 

linza, 214. 

intestinalis, 214. 
Unio radiatus, 202. 
Urosalpinx cinerea, 44. 



INDEX. 



229 



Valisneria spiralis, 194. 
Venus mercenaria, 95. 
Vetella, 154. 
Yorticella, 158. 

Water, 1S4. 

Buttercup, 195. 

Net, 198. 
Whale, the White, 170. 

the Sperm, 171. 
Whelk, Common, 53. 



White Pond-Lily, 195. 
Perch, 207. 

Young of Teredo, 89. 
of the Sponge, 167. 
of the Whale, 172. 
of the Seal, 177. 
of the Sea-Horse, 111. 

Zygaena malleus, 115. 
Zygnema inequale, 199. 



THE END. 



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